


prophetic fortunes about love are always right.

by porcelainsimplicity



Series: i have an obsession with fire and ice (aka all my john/bobby fics) [35]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bartenders, Blow Jobs, Boys Kissing, Closeted Character, Custody Battle, F/F, First Time Blow Jobs, Gay Bar, Gay Character, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, HIV/AIDS, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kissing, Lesbian Character, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Novel, Polyamory, Smoking, Threesome - F/F/M, Waiters & Waitresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2019-08-19 20:45:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 115,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16541918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainsimplicity/pseuds/porcelainsimplicity
Summary: Bobby finally worked his way out of the crowd and into an area where he felt like he could breathe, only to find himself standing at the edge of the bar.  Groaning, he leaned back against the wall and forced himself to take another deep breath, his eyes slipping closed.  He couldn't believe he was actually in a gay club, that he'd actually just been dancing with another man, hands trailing over each other's bodies so shamelessly that he was surprised he hadn't blushed.  It was barely past midnight and already this was the greatest night of his life.or:  John meets Bobby in a club, wants a one night stand, and ends up with more than he bargained for.(formerly known as i hope you're not sleeping as tightly as you used to.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this came from. One minute I'm preparing for the Advent Challenge I'm doing this December, the next I'm writing this. I kind of love these personifications though, and so, therefore, there will probably be more of this. But for now, just enjoy experienced!John, inexperienced!Bobby, and some sexy times.
> 
> also, I can't seem to stop writing them at the moment, so I've been spamming their pairing tag with stories lately and I feel bad about that. Except I don't.

**PART ONE**

Bobby finally worked his way out of the crowd and into an area where he felt like he could breathe, only to find himself standing at the edge of the bar. Groaning, he leaned back against the wall and forced himself to take another deep breath, his eyes slipping closed. He couldn't believe he was actually in a gay club, that he'd actually just been dancing with another man, hands trailing over each other's bodies so shamelessly that he was surprised he hadn't blushed. It was barely past midnight and already this was the greatest night of his life.

“You alright? You look rather flushed.”

Bobby's eyes opened to find the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen staring back at him, slight concern on his face. “Fine,” he stuttered. “Just needed a breather.”

“You look like you could use a drink too,” the man said, leaning over the bar and waving towards the other end. “Jubilee! Get your ass down here and get me a drink!”

Bobby watched as one of the bartenders came down to their end of the bar, a huge smile on her face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the other man. “John! I was wondering if you were going to make it tonight or not.”

“I don't have the slightest idea what's going on but Charles came to talk to Erik, and then Erik came out of the office and sent everyone home early,” John said, brushing a kiss across Jubilee's lips. “So I ran home and changed and here I am.”

Jubilee tugged on John's hair and laughed. “There better not be hair dye all over the bathroom rug again.”

“I got sick of the blond. And if there is, I'll buy a new one,” John said, reaching into his pockets for his wallet. “Look, I want a shot of vodka and for my new friend here...” John paused and looked towards Bobby. “What do you want?”

Bobby swallowed hard and tried to smile. “Um, same as you?”

“Two shots of vodka, got it,” Jubilee said, kissing John again quickly. “I'll be right back.”

John turned back to Bobby and looked him up and down. “You don't seem like the type we usually get in here.”

“First time here,” Bobby answered, ducking his head down in embarrassment. “I didn't know what to wear.”

“I can see that,” John said, reaching out and tilting his chin back up. “Don't worry about it. You are gorgeous enough to make a paper bag look attractive, okay?”

“Alright, two shots of vodka,” Jubilee said as she approached them again, sliding the glasses to a stop in front of them and holding out her hand for the money. “And John, seriously, learn to start dying your hair over the bathtub, alright? It's so much easier than the sink anyway. Now I'd love to stay and chat but we're about to get swamped because the show's going to start in a few, so I'll see you later, okay?”

John nodded and gave Jubilee some money before she walked away, sliding one glass towards Bobby and picking up his own. “Enjoy.”

Bobby watched as John knocked back his shot and then did the same with his own, coughing as he nearly choked himself with it. John laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple. “You're absolutely adorable, you know that? What's your name?”

“Bobby,” he mumbled, a soft sigh escaping him when John's other arm slid around his waist.

“John,” he countered back, pulling Bobby close to him and smiling. “You want to dance?”

Bobby smiled back. “Okay.”

**********

John pressed Bobby up against the wall, lips finding his once more. He groaned as Bobby's fingers tangled themselves in his hair and pulled back, smiling at the slightly dazed look on Bobby's face. “You have done this before, right?”

Bobby blushed furiously and ducked his head down, slowly shaking it. “No, I haven't.”

John studied him for a moment before leaning forward and whispering. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” Bobby whispered softly, glancing up to see John's reaction. When he didn't get one, he pulled John closer and brought their lips together again. “I want this, John. I wouldn't have come here tonight if I didn't want something like this.”

John took in a shaky breath and let his hands tangle in Bobby's hair, kissing him again. “So when you said you haven't done this before, you meant what exactly?”

Bobby blushed again. “None of it. I mean, I've kissed a few girls before, but when it comes to this...”

John cut him off with another kiss, his fingers playing with the waistline of Bobby's pants as his eyes searched Bobby's face for some kind of sign. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

“Yes,” Bobby breathed out, moaning softly when one of John's hands slid down the back of his pants. “Please, John.”

John pulled back quickly and ran his hands through his hair, glancing at his watch. “Not here. I'm not letting your first time be up against a wall in a club like mine was. Is your place out?”

“My roommate,” Bobby stuttered. “She thinks I'm working tonight.”

“Then we've got no other choice.” Bobby started to say something but John grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the bar, watching silently as he waved down Jubilee again. “Jubes! Come here!”

Jubilee quickly made her way over to them. “What, Johnny? We're fucking busy right now.”

“Look, I need you to find somewhere else to crash for the night, okay?” John glanced over at Bobby quickly. “His place isn't an option.”

Jubilee groaned and reached out to smack John on the side of the head. “But it's my turn!”

“I know and I will totally let you have the next two turns, okay? Jubes, come on,” John pleaded.

Jubilee sighed. “Fine. But only because we're so fucking busy that I can't spend any more time talking to you.”

John leaned across the bar and pressed his lips to hers quickly. “You are the best roommate ever. Love you.”

Bobby watched as Jubilee walked away, smiling at John. “So your place then?”

“Yeah,” John said, pulling Bobby into another kiss. “You ready to go or you want to dance some more?”

Bobby shook his head and tried to make his voice sound more confident than he felt. “No, I'm ready. Let's go.”

**********

Bobby looked around the small apartment nervously, noticing the bed that stood in the middle of the room, his arms wrapped around his own waist as John messed around with the locks on the door. “Your place is nice.”

“It's a shithole,” John responded, jiggling the doorknob some more and trying to get the lock to slide into place. “Of all the nights this fucking thing decides it doesn't want to work, it has to pick this fucking night, doesn't it?”

“Does that happen often?” Bobby asked curiously, turning his back to the door and wandering over to the window, peering out at the street below. 

“All the motherfucking time,” John exclaimed, banging on the door in frustration only to hear someone open their door and yell for them to shut up. “I'll fucking shut up when I can get this goddamn door to lock, thank you very much!”

Bobby leaned against the window and watched John mess around with the door. “So your neighbors can hear us?”

“The walls in this building are paper thin,” John said, pulling hard on the door again and letting out a mock cheer when the lock finally slid into place. “About fucking time.”

John turned around and headed towards Bobby, Bobby's eyes following his every move. “Does that mean that they're going to be able to hear us...”

John reached out and pulled Bobby to him, kissing him softly. “Are they going to hear you scream? Yes. Should you care about that? No. It's not like we don't hear them whenever they decide to fuck.”

“I, um,” Bobby stuttered, his eyes fluttering closed as John's lips began to trail down his neck. “I'm nervous.”

John laughed against his neck. “I know.”

“Were you, um,” Bobby paused and swallowed hard. “Were you nervous your first time?”

“I don't remember,” John murmured, his hands slowly inching Bobby's shirt up. “I was pretty drunk. But I'm going to make sure you remember yours.”

Bobby gasped as his shirt was suddenly pulled over his head and tossed aside. “Is it going to hurt?”

John pulled back and stared at him for a moment. “You weren't kidding when you said you'd never done any of this, were you?”

“No,” Bobby whispered, yelping as he was hauled across the room and pushed down onto the bed, staring up at John with wide eyes. “I mean, I know how it works and all, but...”

John laughed and crawled onto the bed, hovering over him. “I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that it doesn't hurt, but I'm not going to lie to you. It probably will.”

“Okay,” Bobby said shakily, arching up into John's touch as he brought their lips together in a hard kiss.

John straddled his thighs and settled against him, rocking forward slightly to bump their clothed erections together, drawing a delicious moan from Bobby's lips. “So if you've never done any of this before, how do you know that a dick up the ass is what you want?”

Bobby squirmed as John ran his hands over his torso, whimpering as fingers gently glided across his ticklish sides. “I, um, oh fuck,” he gasped as John bent down and began to suck on one of his nipples. “I don't like girls.”

John licked at the soft skin covering Bobby's collarbone, nipping gently and smiling when he heard Bobby groan. “Why don't you like girls?”

“Why are we talking about this?” Bobby asked, moving his hands from where they rested against the bed onto John's shoulders as the other man licked and sucked a trail down his chest.

John paused and lifted his head up, giving Bobby a smirk. “Because I'm curious. Now answer the question.”

Bobby shivered as John's tongue danced around his navel. “When I was in school, the girls,” he breathed out, watching through hooded eyes as John's hands went to his belt. “They thought that all we're interested in is their breasts, and I really don't care about those.”

“Mmhm,” John murmured, sliding the belt out of its loops and tossing it somewhere near the kitchen area. “So you don't like breasts. What else?”

“I used to stare at the boys in the locker room,” Bobby said softly, sucking in a deep breath as John undid the button and started to slide down the zipper of his pants. “I really wanted to touch them.”

John shifted to Bobby's side and tugged his pants until they started to come down, quickly pulling them off and tossing them off the bed, Bobby's boxers following soon after. “Where did you want to touch them?”

A blush spread over Bobby's skin as John put his hands on his thighs and gently spread them. “Everywhere.”

“Did you want to touch them here?” John asked, trailing a fingertip along the inside of Bobby's thighs as he settled in between them, watching as Bobby writhed against the sheets.

“Y-yes,” Bobby stuttered, his hands clenching themselves in the bedsheets.

“Or maybe here?” John asked, his fingers dancing across the soft skin just above Bobby's cock.

Bobby bit his lip to keep from crying out. “Yes.”

John shifted down the bed and propped himself up on his elbows, sending a soft smile in Bobby's direction. “But I bet the place where you wanted to touch them the most is right here.”

Bobby gasped as John licked along the underside of his cock, his hips coming up off the mattress to meet John's mouth as it closed around him. He felt his eyes start to close but forced them to stay open, wanting to watch what was happening to him more than anything. John started off slowly, moans spilling freely from Bobby's lips, his hands sliding up Bobby's thighs and gently grasping onto his hips. He used the grip to steady himself as Bobby's hips continued to roll, allowing Bobby to fuck his mouth without much resistance. Bobby threw his head back and groaned out John's name, his legs trembling as the wet warmth of John's mouth started to overwhelm him.

John felt the fight in Bobby's body and pulled back, softly murmuring. “Let go for me. Come for me.”

“John,” Bobby breathed out, pulling hard at the sheets.

“Let go,” John said again, his fingers wrapping around Bobby's cock and tugging quickly. 

It was only a few strokes before Bobby cried out, his cock erupting all over John's hand and his own chest. His eyes slipped shut and he gasped for breath, his whole body shaking from the force of his climax. He didn't know how long it was before he felt John climb off the bed and heard the rustling of clothes hitting the floor and drawers being opened, so Bobby just laid there with his eyes closed, his body tingling with aftershocks from the most amazing feeling he'd ever experienced.

He felt the bed dip again and then John's presence hovering over him, and he slowly opened his eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi,” John laughed, bending down and brushing their lips together. “You back with me yet?”

Bobby sucked in a deep breath and nodded, his eyes trailing down John's body. “You're naked.”

“You like to state the obvious.” John settled onto the bed next to him, brushing his fingers across Bobby's stomach. “Look, I want to give you all the time you need, but I really need to fuck you soon. Like, really soon.”

Bobby reached out and pulled John towards him, bringing their lips together in a hard kiss. “So fuck me then.”

John groaned and rolled on top of him, pressing Bobby down into the mattress as he fumbled with the lube. “Christ, I thought you were going to be good but do you have any idea how fucking amazing you looked a few minutes ago? It makes me want to tie you to this bed and never let you out, and I haven't even been inside you yet.”

“I don't think I'd object to that at the moment,” Bobby laughed, his breath catching in his throat when he felt a finger gently circle his entrance. “John...”

“Relax,” John soothed, sitting back on his knees and running a comforting hand across Bobby's stomach. “The tenser you are, the more it will hurt. And remember to breathe.”

Bobby nodded and forced himself to take a deep breath, his eyes closing as he felt the finger start to slide inside him. He bit his lip and grabbed at the sheets again, trying to concentrate on remembering to breathe as the finger began to move around. He felt butterfly kisses brushed across his thigh before John forced his legs to spread wider, a second finger joining the first as the butterfly kisses switched to the other leg. He swallowed hard as the pain built, and just as he was about to call out for John to stop, his entire lower body melted. “Oh fuck.”

John laughed and added a third finger, doing everything he could to make him as loose as possible. “Great spot that, isn't it?”

“Amazing,” Bobby mumbled, pushing back on John's fingers, trying to get him to touch that spot again. “More, please.”

John fumbled around with the foil package before finally getting it to rip, pulling his fingers out of Bobby and quickly rolling on the condom. “Ready?”

Bobby nodded and John pressed himself against him, slowly rocking his hips forward until he started to inch inside. Bobby's moan was a mixture of pain and pleasure, his hands coming up to tangle in John's hair and pull him closer. “Oh fuck. Fuck.”

John took a deep breath and willed himself to stay calm, swallowing hard when Bobby clenched around him. “Oh fuck, you're so tight. This is going to be so good.”

Bobby lifted his hips slightly, causing John to slide further into him, eliciting a sharp gasp from his own lips. “God, John, fuck.”

“Fuck is right,” John mumbled, bending down and crushing their lips together as he slowly buried himself. He waited until he felt Bobby start to squirm below him before pulling back, sliding almost completely out before carefully thrusting back in. “So fucking good. You're so motherfucking good.”

“John, so good,” Bobby moaned, pulling him into another kiss as John picked up the speed of his thrusts.

“Touch yourself,” John murmured against his lips, shifting slightly and changing the angle, grinning when Bobby trembled against him. “You look amazing like this. So fucking hot. Get yourself off.”

Bobby reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock, quickly falling into a rhythm with John's thrusts. “Close...”

“Then come for me,” John whispered, resting his forehead against Bobby's, thrusting hard against him as Bobby cried out, coating both their stomachs. 

John groaned as Bobby clenched around him, thrusting once more before the world faded away and all he could feel was pure ecstasy. John collapsed on top of him and Bobby felt the air rush out of his lungs as his whole body relaxed into the mattress, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to commit everything that had just happened to memory.

It was a few minutes before John lifted his head and studied Bobby curiously. “You okay?”

“Fucking amazing is more like it,” Bobby laughed, reaching out to brush the hair out of John's eyes.

John smiled at him. “Worth lying to yourself for years over?”

“You can tell?”

“It was like that for me, so I thought maybe it had been like that for you too.”

“Yeah, it was,” Bobby said, grinning when John darted in and kissed him quickly. “Seriously, I don't know why the fuck it was I waited so long to do that. Can we do it again?”

John laughed sleepily. “In the morning.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, couldn't get this out of my head so here have some more.

John slung an arm off to his right, frowning when he encountered nothing but empty sheets. He cracked an eye open and glanced around the room, his frown deepening when he didn't see anyone. “Bobby?”

“Over here.”

John flopped onto his stomach and looked over at the sofa, confusion crossing his face when he saw Bobby was dressed. “You leaving? I thought we were going to fuck again.”

“I have to get to work,” Bobby said softly, playing with the hem of his shirt. “My boss will kill me if I don't show up today.”

“Oh.” John sighed and dropped his head back onto the pillow. “Work.”

Bobby smiled shakily. “Yeah. I, um, I don't know how this part is supposed to work.”

“Well,” John said, exhaling loudly. “This is the part where you go home with a hopefully really good memory to look back fondly on.”

Bobby nodded. “Right. Um, I kind of meant about seeing you again?”

John stared at him for a moment. “That's not usually how one night stands work, honey.”

“One night...” Bobby stuttered, swallowing hard. “Oh.”

John saw the crushed look on Bobby's face, immediately feeling like a jerk. “Hey, you were amazing. And I suppose I could be persuaded into doing it again.”

Bobby's head shot up, his eyes as wide as they had been the previous night. “Really?”

John forced himself to nod, wondering what the fuck it was he was saying. “Yeah, you know. Find me in the club again, entice me with your wicked ways.”

And just as quickly as Bobby's hopes had gone up, John watched as they crashed back down. “Find you in the club. Right.”

This, John told himself, was why he should have been a lot more concerned about the fact that Bobby was a virgin. “What, you're not coming back to the club?”

“I don't know,” Bobby said, leaning back against the couch. “I have this whole 'I'm supposed to be straight' thing going on.”

John flipped over onto his back and sat up, staring at him in disbelief. “You haven't come out to anyone yet?”

“No.” Bobby started playing with the end of his shirt again. “I just know how they'll all react, so...”

“What about this roommate of yours?” John asked, running his hands through his hair. “Can't you tell her?”

“Marie? I guess. She'll be fucking shocked.”

John stretched his arms above his head, smiling when he noticed Bobby checking him out. “Come here.”

Bobby stood up and walked towards him. “What?”

John grabbed him by the wrist and pulled Bobby down to the bed, bringing their lips together in a fast kiss. “How's this? Do you know the restaurant next to the club? You meet me there and I'll help you figure out how to deal with your roommate.”

Bobby studied him for a moment. “Really?”

“Yeah,” John said, kissing him again. “I had to do it. Might as well pass on the knowledge. Meet me there on Monday at seven.”

“Can't do that,” Bobby said quietly. “I work Monday nights.”

John groaned. “Then what night is better for you?”

“Friday,” Bobby said, glancing up at him. “I can tell Marie I'm crashing at a friend's for the weekend.”

John reached out and brushed his fingers along Bobby's cheek. “Then I guess I'll see you on Friday at seven. If I'm not there when you get there, just grab a table and wait for me, alright? Sometimes my boss is a complete asshole on Fridays and makes us work late.”

“It's a date then.” Bobby glanced over at the clock and quickly kissed John before standing up. “I've really got to leave.”

John nodded and watched as Bobby rushed out of the apartment, waiting until the door was closed before letting out a huge groan and falling back to the mattress. “A date? Allerdyce, what the fuck did you just do?”

**********

“So then she pushed me down on the bed and ate me out, and fuck, Johnny,” Jubilee said, pausing to shove a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth. “Best orgasm I've ever had. Seriously.”

John cringed and threw a napkin at her. “Didn't your mama teach you not to talk with your mouth full?”

Jubilee finished chewing and swallowed, sticking her tongue out at him. “Shut up. So, how was the guy you picked up, hm?”

“Remind me never to fuck a virgin again, okay?” John groaned and reached towards one of the cartons, reaching in with his chopsticks and pulling a piece of chicken out. “I've got fucking baggage now and I don't know how to deal with it.”

Jubilee laughed as she reached for her beer. “Johnny, you say that every time you fuck a virgin.”

“Yeah, well, I somehow talked myself into dinner with this one on Friday.” John popped the piece of chicken into his mouth and quickly chewed it. “And he called it a fucking date before he left.”

“A date?” Jubilee laughed again. “I didn't know you knew the meaning of the word.”

John sighed. “He was amazing, alright? Like seriously, I'd rank him in the top five best fucks I've ever had. But he's still closeted and he looked so crushed when I tried to brush him off as a one night stand, and I just...I don't know what happened.”

Jubilee paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “Closeted?”

“The only people who know he's gay are whoever saw him at the club last night, you, and me,” John mumbled, dropping his head into his hands. “Fuck.”

“John!” Jubilee exclaimed, setting the carton she was holding down on the floor and reaching out to smack him on the head. 

“Ow,” John said, reaching up to rub his head. “I know, alright? But fuck, Jubes, I just lost my mind for this guy. I had him spread out on the bed and he was staring up at me and just...something happened to me that I can't even explain. I like cared about how he was feeling and shit.”

Jubilee rolled her eyes. “You mean you finally started acting like a human being? John, I would have never expected that of you.”

“Shut up,” John whined, slumping back against the wall. “I don't like this. I'm going to have dinner with him and that's it.”

“And you are going to fuck him again,” Jubilee pointed out, snagging another carton off the floor and opening it up. “Don't even try to deny it.”

“Well, yeah,” John said. “The sex was fucking fantastic. Toss me a fortune cookie, will you?”

Jubilee grabbed one and tossed it towards him. “All I'm going to say is that you better watch yourself with this one. And who knows, maybe he could be good for you, especially if he's already making you care about him.”

“I don't fucking care about him,” John growled, ripping open the fortune cookie's packaging and breaking the cookie in half. He pulled the fortune out and read it, groaning. “You've got to be fucking kidding me.”

“What?”

“Love will find you soon if it hasn't already.”

Jubilee couldn't stop the laughter. “See? Even your fortune thinks that this guy could be good for you!”

John threw the cookie at her. “Shut the fuck up.”

**********

Jubilee sauntered into the restaurant and immediately waved at Piotr, turning to grab a seat when one of the restaurant's other customers caught her eyes. Grinning to herself, she altered her path and soon found herself sliding into a booth, laughing at the startled look on the guy's face. “Ah, shit, what the fuck did John say your name was again?”

“Bobby,” he said softly.

“Right. So, listen, I think that you should totally keep pestering John no matter how much he tries to brush you off, okay? And trust me, he will totally try to brush you off because John doesn't do relationships.” Jubilee stopped and looked towards the approaching waitress, putting another smile on her face. “Theresa, darling, I'll just have a glass of water with lemon and the special. I'm not in the mood for something that's half burnt today.”

“I heard that!” Piotr called out, making Jubilee and Theresa laugh.

“Should be up in a few,” Theresa said, bending down to kiss the top of Jubilee's head before walking away. 

Jubilee sighed happily and then turned back to Bobby. “Anyway, I'm being totally serious. You want him, you have to go for him and not stop until you get what you want.”

Bobby blinked a few times before reaching for his soda and taking a sip. “Um, okay?”

“You seem like you'd be good for him, that's all,” Jubilee said, pausing as Theresa set her water down in front of her. “Brilliant, darling, thank you. I don't even know what it is that I'm basing this idea that you'd be good for him on, other than the fact that he totally talked to me about you when he usually just tells me to shut the fuck up if I inquire about one of his conquests, but I've just got this feeling.”

Theresa looked between Jubilee and Bobby for a moment before gasping and sitting down next to Jubilee. “Wait, this is John's latest?”

Jubilee shot Theresa a confused look. “How the fuck do you know about this?”

“Because the bitch had about thirty different offers last night and he didn't go home with any of them,” Theresa said. “I thought it was highly unusual so I totally asked John what was up and he was so drunk that he just started rambling on about some guy he'd met in the club that had him totally fucked up. That must be you.”

Bobby tried to smile but knew he failed miserably. “I guess so?”

Jubilee rolled her eyes. “Yes. Just say yes. Don't be ashamed to admit that you got fucked. It's a part of life and we talk about it. A lot.”

Theresa laughed and glanced towards the counter when she heard Piotr call out her name. “I think your food is up, Jubes. I'll be right back.”

Jubilee reached out and grabbed one of Bobby's hands as Theresa headed back to the counter, squeezing it lightly. “John told me that you've never done any of this before, and seriously, I feel like shouting welcome to the gayborhood to you and then taking you into the club and corrupting the hell out of you. Stick with us, Bobby, and you will fit in around here in no time.”

“Um,” Bobby said nervously. “Thanks?”

“So what are you doing here anyway? John was bitching something fierce about you not being able to do anything on a Monday night, and last time I checked, this was one.”

Bobby's free hand picked up the pen that was laying on the table and he turned his gaze back to the paperwork in front of him. “I'm, uh, job hunting actually. I got fired for showing up to work late after I was with John because my boss is an asshole and I saw the sign in the window the other night and...”

“Oh that would be so motherfucking perfect!” Jubilee exclaimed, looking around and beaming when she saw Charles in the room. “Charles! Perfect timing! Come over here for a moment.”

Charles headed in their direction, Theresa trailing behind him with Jubilee's food. “Make it quick, Jubes. I've got a meeting to get to.”

“Well, this is Bobby,” Jubilee said, gesturing towards him as though he was a product being bid upon on a game show. “And I think you should totally hire him to be the new waiter. Or whatever it is you're hiring for.”

“Ooh, that is a fantastic idea,” Theresa exclaimed, setting Jubilee's food down on the table. “Charles, you should totally listen to Jubes on this one.”

Charles looked towards Bobby and bit back a laugh when he noticed him shrinking down under his gaze. “And is there any particular reason for this?”

“Bobby here is new to the whole scene and I totally feel like taking him under my wing and turning him from that ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. He's already off to a great start, too. He fucked John on Friday.” Jubilee squeezed Bobby's hand again as Bobby turned bright red. “Oh honey, honestly, don't be embarrassed about that. We all got fucked on Friday, just not by John.”

“Wait, you got some on Friday?” Theresa asked, pushing past Charles and sitting down next to Jubilee again. “Girl! Tell me everything!”

Charles reached out and pulled Theresa up. “Gossip once your shift is over. I'm trying to conduct an interview here.”

“You haven't even asked him a question yet!” Jubilee laughed.

“Well if I could get a word in edgewise, I would,” Charles said, glancing at his watch. “Look, it's the evening shift, so from four until close. You'll work as a waiter when we're extra busy but you'll probably just be the busboy, going around and clearing off tables and shit like that. Interested?”

Bobby nodded quickly. “Yes, definitely.”

“Then you start tomorrow.” Charles glanced at his watch again. “We'll do all the tax papers and shit then because I've got to go. Try not to burn the place down, okay bitches?”

“Tell Erik hi for me!” Jubilee called out as Charles walked away, turning back to Bobby with a huge grin on her face. “Aw, this is so perfect! I'm totally dragging John here for dinner tomorrow night.”

“He's not going to be mad, is he?” Bobby asked softly, setting the pen down and glancing nervously between Jubilee and Theresa. 

“Who cares?” Jubilee asked, picking up her fork and cutting into her omelet. “Besides, the best way to win John over is to be in his face all the time, which you now will be. The situation could not be any more perfect.”

“She's totally right,” Theresa said, sitting back down. “Now tell us about Friday night, girl. I want details.”

**********

“So, we're totally going to the restaurant for dinner tomorrow night, okay? There's a new one that you've just got to see,” Jubilee said, reaching across the bar and tucking a stray hair behind John's ear. “You're going to love him, trust me.”

John laughed. “Don't you get sick of being around here? I swear to God, it feels like you live here and periodically come home to see me.”

“Please, this place is like heaven on earth for a homo and you know it,” Jubilee said, grinning at him. “Besides, you sure as fuck seems to hang out here a lot so I don't think you're one to talk.”

“Point taken,” John noted, then sighed. “Fine, I'll come to check out the new waiter with you tomorrow, but I'm totally only having a few drinks and then heading home after that. I've got to be in ridiculously early Wednesday morning. Erik has like completely lost his mind about this new project and so we're putting in extra hours to try and get it finished early so we have enough time to make the six hundred and forty million changes that Erik will want before the deadline.”

Jubilee laughed and shook her head. “He does realize that you guys make coloring books for three-year-olds, right?

“Yeah, but every time you try to remind him of that, he launches into this long monologue about how we're making more than coloring books, we're providing the artists of the future with the tools to start shaping their craft and on and on and on,” John said, rolling his eyes. “I try to avoid those conversations as much as possible. He usually bugs the actual designers more with that shit than he does those of us who just organize the drawings into an actual book, but whatever. It's still annoying as fuck.”

Jubilee nodded. “Listen, you remember the story of my Friday night?”

“Of course,” John said. 

“Don't tell anybody okay?” Jubilee glanced over at the DJ booth and smiled playfully. “I told Theresa I went home with some random from the club, and I don't want you to accidentally tell her who that random really was.”

John gave Jubilee a strange look. “Why all the secrecy about this, hm? So you fucked Kitty. So what?”

“Because I don't know what's going to happen with it, and I totally don't want everyone and their mother gossiping about it,” Jubilee said, reaching for a bottle of vodka and pouring herself a drink. “Besides, it's not like she hasn't been keeping the truth about her sexuality from the rest of us, and I don't want to be the reason that it comes out.”

“We're talking about Kitty here.”

“I know. And I'm being serious.”

“Fine, I won't say a thing,” John said, reaching for his own drink and taking another sip. “You haven't been going around telling people about Bobby, have you?”

Jubilee rolled her eyes. “You're doing a good enough job of that, from what I hear. Do you even remember rambling on about it to Theresa the other night?”

John groaned and dropped his head down to the surface of the bar. “I didn't.”

“Oh yes, you did. Theresa and I were talking about it while I ate dinner earlier.” Jubilee reached out and patted John on the head. “Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. No one thinks much more about it than you just being your normal slutty self.”

“I'm not a slut,” John said defensively, glancing up at Jubilee. “Shit, like they don't sleep around just as much as I do.”

Jubilee nodded. “I know, I know. But still, they at least from time to time stick with the same person for more than a night. You? Not so much.”

“I've had relationships before,” John protested. “They just didn't go very well.”

Jubilee knocked her drink back. “Well, maybe Bobby will be different.”

“Bobby is nothing more than a mistake, and I'm telling you again, after this date on Friday, I am done with him,” John stated, polishing off the rest of his drink. “I am not complicating my life by dating a fucking closeted homo who is sneaking around behind everyone in his life's backs.”

“You say that now,” Jubilee said, grinning. “But not even you can predict what life is going to throw at you. Besides, your fortune the other night was totally about Bobby. And your fortunes are never wrong.”

“That one is,” John grumbled. “It has to be.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look there's more.

Bobby walked into the restaurant half an hour early, spotting Charles standing near the counter and heading in his direction. “Um, hi.”

Charles turned around and glanced at him, smiling. “Oh good, you came in early. Have you ever worked as a waiter before?”

Bobby shook his head. “No. This is this first job like this I've had.”

“Of course it is,” Charles sighed, looking over at the kitchen. “Peter! I need you to stick around for the night shift!”

A man Bobby assumed was Peter stuck his head out of the kitchen and frowned. “But I have plans!”

“Well, they are plans that are going to have to be rescheduled,” Charles said, picking up his pen and scribbling a note to himself on his paperwork. “Blame Wanda for giving Theresa the day off. I cannot have the dinner rush with this guy on his first day who has never been a waiter before.”

Peter pouted and and walked the rest of the way out of the kitchen, coming up alongside Charles. “Fine, I'll call Scott and tell him I can't have dinner with him and Jean. But I get overtime for this?”

“Yes,” Charles said, glancing at the clock. “It'll definitely put you into overtime this week.”

A smile returned to Peter's face. “Great. That means I should definitely have enough money to buy myself that new pair of shoes that Theresa and I were looking at the other day. They're gorgeous ones too. Bright blue stilettos with this amazing silver sequin design on the toe. Charles, you'll love them.”

“I'm sure I will.”

Bobby glanced back and forth between them nervously, trying not to let on how out of place he felt. Charles noticed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, guiding him towards the entrance to the office hallway. “How about we go get all the paperwork filled out?”

Bobby nodded and let Charles guide him to an office, taking a seat across from the desk as Charles went around to the other side of it. “Um, I just wanted to say thanks for giving me the job. I really appreciate it.”

Charles laughed. “No need to thank me. We were hiring for a position and you are the one we chose.”

“I feel as though I didn't get the job because I deserved it though,” Bobby said, ducking his head down as Charles started searching through the papers on the desk. “I mean, with what Jubilee was saying last night and all...”

“We have different hiring practices here than at most places of business,” Charles stated, plucking the paperclip off a stack of papers and setting them down in front of Bobby. “Fill these out, okay? Name, address, stuff like that. Anyway, we are looking for more than just someone who can take food from the counter to the table. Everyone who works here inevitably becomes part of the family and, well, it's pretty obvious just by looking at you that you desperately need a gay family.”

Bobby took the pen that Charles held out to him and leaned forward, starting to write in the appropriate answers to each box. “Yeah, I, um, I don't have any gay friends.”

“Well, you do now,” Charles said, reaching for his cup and taking a drink. “There is someone here twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, whether it is in the restaurant or the club next door. You ever need anything, and I mean anything, we will be here for you. Jubilee was definitely right about you. I already have this ridiculous urge to help you and I barely know you.”

Bobby nodded and flipped to the next page. “Is that a good thing? It makes me feel kind of pathetic, actually.”

“It's a great thing,” Charles said, smiling. “And don't feel pathetic. We've all been there at some point or another. Everyone has their first foray into this scene that they can look back on. Personally, I think you're going about it the right way. You have figured out a way to be around this scene even if you don't want to join in with the craziness that goes on in the club. And you'll probably learn a lot more from dealing with the queens when they are sober than you would if you were just dealing with them when they were drunk. Some of them are a lot nicer without half a gallon of vodka in them, you know? Of course, some of them are a lot nicer with a half a gallon of vodka in them too. But, well, fuck, there's always going to be the jerks, right?”

“Right,” Bobby said, signing the bottom of the last piece of paper and handing them back to Charles. “I think.”

Charles laughed. “Oh, you'll learn, don't worry. Now let's go find you an apron and I'll get Peter to start explaining how the daily special works to you.”

**********

“So he goes on this half an hour long rant about how the shirt needs to be striped, right?” John said, pushing open the door to the restaurant and heading towards the booth they usually sat in. “And Janos starts trying to tell him for like the ninetieth time that the design team decided it would be better to leave the kit a solid color because stripes might be difficult for kids in this age range to fill in since they'd be pretty skinny given the size of the picture. Erik totally loses it, yet again, and I swear to God he was about to fire Janos when Raven walked in and calmed him down.”

Jubilee laughed and sat down in the booth, tossing her bag against the wall and leaning up against it. “Your workplace sounds so fucking entertaining. I should go by there more often.”

“Please, then all I would hear about that afternoon would be you,” John said, sticking his tongue out at her. “And I hear enough about you as it is. You made quite the lasting impact on a few of them the last time you showed up.”

Jubilee laughed again. “That wouldn't have anything to do with the hot pants and nylons I was wearing that day, would it?”

“Something like that.” John glanced up and saw menus so he grabbed one, immediately opening it and beginning to study his options. “Bring me a lemonade, will you? And I think I feel like starting off with a house salad, bleu cheese dressing, and tell them easy on the croutons, okay?”

“Okay.”

John dropped the menu and turned to stare at Bobby. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I, um,” Bobby tried to smile when he saw Jubilee waving encouragingly from the other side of the booth. “I sort of work here now?”

John immediately changed his gaze to Jubilee, scowling when she laughed. “You lousy motherfucker.”

“What? I told you that you'd like the new waiter!” Jubilee laughed and tugged at Bobby's wrist, making him sit down and slinging an arm around his shoulders. “How's it going so far, gorgeous?”

“Um, okay I guess,” Bobby said, glancing up at John nervously. “Peter's been doing most of the work. I've just sort of been observing.”

John sighed and slumped down, staring across at Bobby. “Is this supposed to be some sort of a joke?”

“No,” Bobby stuttered, shaking his head quickly. “I, um, I needed a job because I got fired when I was late after being with you, and I saw this place was hiring, and...”

“John, be nice to him,” Jubilee said, kicking at John's shins under the table. “He has every fucking right to work here if he chooses to.”

“Fine,” John mumbled. “Go get my salad, will you? I need to speak to my roommate alone for a moment.”

“Just bring me the same thing you're bringing him, okay?” Jubilee said, leaning over to kiss the side of Bobby's head before pushing him towards edge of the bench. Bobby nodded and stood up, scribbling away at his order book as he walked towards the kitchen.

John immediately glared at Jubilee, reaching across the table to smack at her shoulder. “Don't encourage him!”

“John, he doesn't need any fucking encouragement,” Jubilee said, slapping at his hand. “He was in here filling out the application when I showed up last night. He did this all on his own. And I'm sorry, but from talking with him last night, I like him. He needs a group of us homos to take him in and help him realize his true beauty, and I'm not letting you mess that up for him just because you can't deal with the fact that you are attracted to him.”

“If I couldn't deal with it, I never would have fucked him,” John said sternly, pulling his hand back and running it through his hair. “I just...fuck, Jubes. I really don't know how to deal with this. I never have to deal with the guys I fuck ever again. Ever.”

“Well, you could start by being nice to him,” Jubilee pointed out. “This one is obviously different, Johnny. I mean, you have been just randomly bringing him up for four days now. Just admit that he got under your skin. The sooner you admit that, the easier it will be for you to deal with it.”

“Fine,” John grumbled. “He got to me. There, I said it.”

Jubilee beamed at him. “Perfect. Now, when he brings out our food, tell him that your date for Friday is still on. You'll just have to do it after his shift.”

“Our date?” John groaned and slammed his hand down on the table. “Jubilation, I hate you.”

“You love me and you know it,” Jubilee said, reaching out to squeeze John's hand. “And you totally know you want to get him into bed again. You never would have brought up the idea of a date with him in the first place if you didn't.”

John sighed and glanced across the room, smiling slightly when he noticed Bobby was staring at him from near the kitchen. “I don't date people, Jubes.”

“Well, Johnny, maybe it's time for you to start,” Jubilee said, reaching for her silverware and unwrapping the napkin from around it. “Seriously, if you're ever going to start, Bobby is probably the best place to. He has no expectations for you to meet because he's never done any of it either. It's like a perfect fit.”

“Shut up,” John said, picking up the paper napkin ring and tossing it at her. “Just shut up.”

Jubilee laughed and tossed it right back at him. “Thank you for admitting that I'm right. Now, what are you going to order?”

**********

John walked back into the restaurant and glanced around, sighing when he saw Charles glaring at him. “I know, I know, it's closed.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing in here?” Charles asked.

John sighed and tried to think of an appropriate answer. “I, um...I came to see the new waiter.”

“The new waiter?” Charles stared at him incredulously for a moment. “Alright, you wait here. He's just finishing up in the back, should be out here at any minute.”

“Thanks,” John murmured, walking over to the nearest booth and sitting down, running his hands through his hair. He hadn't been waiting long when suddenly he felt someone slide into the booth next to him, glancing over to see the eyes that he'd become far too familiar with. “Hey.”

“Hi John,” Bobby said softly. “Charles said you wanted to talk to me?”

John resisted rolling his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, let's get out of here, okay? I'll walk you to the train or something.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” John said patiently, standing and following Bobby into the hallway that separated the restaurant from the club. “Is it that surprising?”

Bobby laughed nervously. “No, it's just...you didn't seem very happy to see me earlier. That's all.”

“I wasn't,” John agreed, “but that has more to do with Jubilee being a bitch than it does with you. Don't take it personally.”

“Okay,” Bobby said, gasping when John grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall. “What are you do--” 

John crushed their lips together, sighing into Bobby's mouth as he felt Bobby's arms wrap around his neck. He pressed him harder against the wall, his hands sliding underneath Bobby's shirt, kissing him as if he needed to in order to breathe. Bobby arched against him and John felt a delicious shiver run down his spine, pulling back quickly to gasp for air. 

“Your place an option?”

“Marie gets home in an hour.”

“And she really will have a problem if I'm there?”

“I told you, she doesn't know,” Bobby mumbled, his cheeks flushed and eyes wide. “No one does.”

John sighed and dropped his head to Bobby's shoulder. “And you won't tell her?”

“Not yet. She'll just tell my parents.”

John sucked in a couple of deep breaths. “You should tell them the truth. And her too.”

“I know,” Bobby said softly. “I want to. I'm just scared.”

“I get it, trust me,” John said. “So you absolutely have to be home in an hour.”

“Yes. She'll start to get suspicious if I'm not, and then she'll start to ask questions, and she can always tell when I'm lying to her. She didn't buy the excuse I gave her on Friday at all.”

“Not enough time. Fuck, I really want to fuck you right now too.”

Bobby lightly tangled his fingers in John's hair. “It's all I've been thinking about since Friday.”

“Me too,” John admitted, pulling away from him and forcing himself to take a deep breath. “Alright, we can do this. Walk to the train, you go home and do whatever it is you do with her, and I'll go home and jerk myself off.”

“You won't be the only one,” Bobby mumbled, making John groan and pin him up against the wall again. “John...”

John sighed and pulled back again, taking an extra step backwards to try and keep Bobby at enough of a distance. “No more. At least not until we are on the train. We can totally make out all the way to your stop.”

Bobby laughed and pulled John towards the door, shuddering when John wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked out of the building. “Thanks for walking with me.”

“It's not that big of a deal, okay? Stop turning it into one,” John said quickly, glancing around as they crossed the street and started towards the train station.

Bobby nodded and shuffled a little closer to John, his smile growing larger when he felt John's grip on him tighten. “So you aren't going to the club tonight?”

“Nah, I've got to work early in the morning,” John said, glancing behind them when he heard a noise only to relax when he noticed it was just someone coming out of one of the shops. He turned back to Bobby and laughed when he saw the look on his face. “Don't look so surprised. Even us homos have to work for a living.”

Bobby cringed and dropped his head. “I didn't mean it like that,” he said quietly. “I just don't know what it is that you do.”

John laughed. “I am a chapter designer at Charles's partner Erik's company,” he said. “Which in more basic terms means that I organize silly drawings into storylines for coloring books for kids.”

“You make coloring books?” Bobby said, a smile on his face. “Seriously?”

John rolled his eyes. “Hey, somebody's got to do it. And Erik pays well.”

“No, no, I'm not trying to make fun of you,” Bobby quickly corrected. “I just...didn't expect that.”

“No one ever does,” John said, pulling Bobby closer as they rounded a corner. “So, um, what do you think Marie would say if you got home late?”

Bobby sighed. “Probably nothing if I call and tell her that I have to work late.”

John pondered that for a moment. “Call.”

“Does this mean we are going back to your place?” Bobby asked.

John sighed and stopped walking, pushing him up against the brick building they were walking past. “We can't exactly go back to yours, now can we?”

“No, we can't.”

“Then call.”

Bobby flushed and fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing Marie's number and waiting. “Marie? Hi. Look, I'm going to be later than I thought I would be, okay? We got really busy and I need to stay around and help.”

John bent down and started sucking at the base of Bobby's neck, delighting when he heard him gasp.

“No, Marie, everything is fine. It's just busy and I need to get back to work, that's all. I just wanted to let you know that I would be late.” Bobby slapped at John's back and tried to push him away, biting his lip hard to keep from groaning as John's lips danced over his skin. “Alright, Marie. I love you too. See you later.”

John laughed when he heard the phone call end, bringing his head up to press his lips to Bobby's. “Alright, Marie, I love you too,” he teased.

“Shut up, like you wouldn't say the same thing to Jubilee,” Bobby pouted. “Now, I bought us some time. Are we really going to waste it standing in the middle of a sidewalk?”

John laughed and took him by the hand, pulling him towards the train station. “Are you sure you've never done this stuff before? Because really, you've got the basics of getting to the point down already.”

“I'm sure,” Bobby said, laughing. “I guess I'm just a natural.”


	4. Chapter 4

Charles was smiling when he sat down next to Bobby, slinging an arm around the younger man's shoulders. “So what's the deal with you and John?”

“Nothing,” Bobby said, trying to smile back at him.

Charles pressed a kiss to the side of Bobby's head. “You still haven't told anyone, have you?”

“About what?”

“About John.” 

“What about John?”

Charles just shook his head. “Bobby, you don't have to lie to me. He's been here at close for you every night since you started working here. That's seriously out of character for him.”

Bobby sighed. “I don't have a fucking clue how to explain John to myself, let alone anyone else. And no, I haven't told anyone else in my life about the fact that there's even the possibility of a John either.”

“You should,” Charles said, smiling. “Erik was sort of the same way when I met him though. Completely curious about the experience but not sure if he was actually ready to admit that he wanted it to anyone.”

Bobby looked over at Charles in disbelief. “Erik? That guy I met in here the other day?”

“Oh yes, he didn't embrace the fact that he was queer for a while,” Charles said, laughing. “Hard to believe given how he is now, but it's the truth.”

Bobby shook his head slightly. “I know I want this. I just don't know if I'm ready to give up everything I have to give up in order to have it.”

“If you wait until you're ready, then you'll probably never do it,” Charles said softly. “I'm not saying that you should do anything you're not comfortable with, but if you want to move forward with your life, you are going to have to do it.”

Bobby sighed. “That's what John keeps saying. 'Just fucking tell them already, Bobby. Things will be so much better once you tell them, Bobby. The sex will be freeing.' Shit like that.”

“If he's trying to make you do something you don't want, then say something and I'll make sure that he stops,” Charles said seriously. “He might not listen to me but he'll listen to Erik.”

“No, no, it's not anything like that,” Bobby said, sighing. “It's me. It's not him.”

Charles hugged him closer and kissed the top of Bobby's head. “You sure?”

“I'm sure,” Bobby said, trying to smile. “I know he's right, I just, I have a lot to think about, I guess.”

Charles let go of him and stood up. “Sometimes, Bobby, it's better to not think and just do.”

**********

Kurt set his cup of coffee down and looked across the counter at Warren. “I'm being completely serious here. John's got himself a boyfriend.”

“You are fucking crazy,” Warren said, turning to glance at the grill before bringing his gaze back to Kurt. “There is no motherfucking way that John 'I'll fuck anything that moves' Allerdyce has a boyfriend.”

“Look, bitch, this isn't like normal, okay?” Kurt rolled his eyes and then flashed a smile at Wanda as she passed by. “He's stopped picking up guys in the club.”

“Oh, I see, he's taking a break from fucking everyone. Of course, that means there's a boyfriend,” Warren said sarcastically, turning back to the grill and flipping the frying bacon over. “Have you had a night off recently? Because I really think you need to get out more.”

“Fuck you, Worthington,” Kurt said angrily. “And no, I haven't had a motherfucking night off since the first week of August, thank you very much. But being stuck behind the bar gives me some perspective, and I'm telling you, John has a boyfriend.”

“John does not date people, remember?” Warren grabbed a plate off the stack and slid the eggs and bacon onto it. “Any guy who has ever tried to get him interested in more than one night has been very clearly rejected.”

Kurt groaned and slid his coffee forward, putting his head down on the counter. “So fucking what? Maybe he met the right one this time!”

“I just think you're clutching at straws here, sweetheart,” Warren said, turning around to face him. “Now, go pick a table to sit at and I'll have Bobby bring you your food.”

Kurt lifted his head. “Why the fuck can't I sit here?”

“The counter is coffee only, you know that. You want to eat food, you sit at a table.”

Kurt sighed and looked around the restaurant. “Warren, there's not a motherfucking soul in here.”

“I don't care, the rules are the rules.” Warren leaned back against the prep table and grinned. “Besides, Bobby needs the tips. Jubilee took him on a major shopping spree over the weekend and practically drained his bank account.”

“Please tell me that he's not going to become a Jubilee clone,” Kurt said, climbing off the stool he was sitting on and grabbing his cup of coffee. “It's bad enough that Theresa is.”

Warren rolled his eyes. “I don't understand why everyone has such a problem with the way Theresa dresses. We're accepting of everyone around here and you all know that.”

“Whatever,” Kurt said, walking over to a table and sitting down. “Is this good enough? I need silverware too. There isn't any here.”

Warren jumped when he felt a hand on his back, looking behind him to see Bobby standing there. “Fucking hell, don't scare me like that.”

“Sorry,” Bobby said, reaching around Warren to grab the plate. “What table?”

“Oh for fuck's sake, I'm the only fucking person in here!” Kurt exclaimed, causing Bobby to laugh as he carried the plate towards him. “Just bring me my motherfucking food!”

“You're quite bitchy this morning,” Bobby said, setting the plate down in front of Kurt and reaching over to grab a set of silverware off another table. 

“I am not fucking bitchy,” Kurt groaned. “It was just a long motherfucking night.”

Bobby put the silverware next to Kurt's plate and patted him on the shoulder. “If you say so.”

“What the fuck are you doing here anyway?” Kurt asked. “You work nights.”

“Just covering a day shift,” Bobby said, walking back to the counter. “And you're definitely bitchy.”

“Bobby's right, Kurt, you're being a little bitch this morning,” Wanda said, walking back into the room and going behind the counter. “But I do think you're right about John having a boyfriend.”

“See!” Kurt exclaimed, spinning around in his chair to point at Warren. “I told you!”

Warren rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“You're just mad because I've got the gossip before you do,” Kurt said smugly. “And by the way, this omelet fucking sucks. You forgot the tomatoes.”

**********

Bobby gasped loudly as he fell back onto the bed, shuddering when John climbed on top of him and kissed him hard. His eyes slipped closed as John's lips trailed down his neck, fisting his hands into the bedsheets. John quickly reached for Bobby's pants and slid them down and off before standing up to shimmy out of his own. When he got back on the bed, he could tell that Bobby was slightly freaking out and he sighed heavily as he thought about the baggage he'd saddled himself with.

“You need to relax,” John whispered, bending down to kiss Bobby softly. “I don't want to hurt you and it's going to hurt you if you don't calm down.”

Bobby took a deep breath and relaxed his hands, bringing them up to tangle in John's hair, pulling him closer. “Just do it. The quicker, the better.”

“You make it sound like it's torture,” John said, laughing as he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the lube and condoms. “But if you want quick, you're really going to have to relax.”

Bobby nodded as John kissed him again, groaning when he felt one of John's hands wrap around his cock. “Oh fuck.”

John trailed kisses down his chest, stopping momentarily to pay close attention to first one nipple, then the other, his hand sliding along Bobby's cock slowly. “I'm fucking serious about relaxing.”

Bobby slid his hands up and started running them across John's back. “I know, but it's just...”

John pressed a soft kiss right below Bobby's bellybutton and looked up, wiping the hair out of his eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Bobby nodded, arching up into John's touch as the pace on his cock quickened slightly. “Do you honestly think I'd be here with you if I didn't?”

“Then just lay back and let me make you feel good,” John said, sliding down until his face was level with Bobby's cock. 

John bent forward and swirled his tongue around the head of Bobby's cock, causing Bobby's eyes to roll back into his head. Bobby moaned shamelessly as John took him into his mouth, his hands pinning Bobby's hips to the bed. Bobby took a deep breath and let his eyes slip closed, spreading his legs further apart as John's hands drifted towards the inside of his thighs. John's pace quickened and Bobby found himself drifting further and further into the pleasurable haze that was settling around him.

He tensed up instinctively when he felt the gentle caressing of a fingertip at his entrance, and John let his cock slip from his mouth and pressed a kiss to the inside of his thigh before running a gentle hand across Bobby's stomach. “Relax.”

Bobby nodded as he watched John's hand snatch the lube from beside them. “I'm trying.”

“I am going to enjoy this so much more once you're out of the closet and fucking comfortable with yourself,” John murmured, flicking the lid of the tube open and pouring some of the sticky liquid onto his fingers.

Bobby took a deep breath and settled back against the pillow, spreading his legs even wider so John could continue. He willed himself to relax when he felt the finger again, groaning when John's lips wrapped around the head of his cock once more. His breath hitched when the finger slipped inside him, and he let out a long moan as his body slowly remembered that it liked this.

John pulled back again, kissing along Bobby's thigh once more before gently moving his finger around. Bobby shuddered as the finger started to slide in and out, clenching his fists into the bedsheets once more. John reached out with his free hand and unclenched one fist and then the other. “Relax.”

“I am.”

John laughed and bent down, running his tongue over Bobby's balls while he slicked up his fingers some more and pressed another one into him. “You're amazing, baby. Truly amazing.”

Bobby gasped as John took his cock all the way into his mouth again, yelping when he felt John's fingers find his prostate. Sparks went flying behind his eyes but John didn't stop, quickening the pace of both his mouth and his fingers until Bobby was screaming out his name and coming into his mouth.

“Holy fuck,” Bobby murmured, gasping for breath.

“That,” John said, leaning up to kiss Bobby deeply, “was to take the edge off.”

Bobby shuddered and groaned as the fingers pushed back inside of him, John's free hand caressing his torso lightly, soothing the tense muscles of his abdomen into relaxing. Bobby shuddered again as John's hand trailed down his side, his trembling hands coming up to tangle in John's hair as he nudged Bobby's legs further apart. “Fuck.”

“Just relax, baby,” John whispered, reaching out and snagging one of the condoms. “It's just me.”

Bobby sucked in a deep breath as he heard the package being torn open, groaning when John's fingers brushed his prostate again. “I know I said quick earlier but...”

“It'll be as slow and gentle as I can make it,” John said, dropping a kiss to the middle of Bobby's chest before grabbing the lube and slicking his dick up. “I promise I won't hurt you.”

Bobby nodded and threw his head back as he felt John press up against him. John pushed forward gently, pausing to let Bobby adjust to the stretch. He rocked against him slowly, trying to help him adjust, before keeping up his slow thrust until he was buried to the hilt. He took a deep breath and glanced up at Bobby, desperately trying to hold onto his self-control. “Tell me when I can move.”

“Move,” Bobby ordered, groaning as he felt John pull out then slide back in. “Fuck, John. Motherfuck.”

John bent forward and pressed kisses to Bobby's chest as he picked up his thrusts, a smile crossing his face when he felt Bobby start to push back against him. “You feel so fucking good, baby. So, so good.”

John pulled back and changed his angle slightly, sliding back in and then all Bobby felt was pleasure. Bobby moaned loudly as one of John's hands drifted down and wrapped around his cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts. “Oh fuck, Johnny, fuck, so good.”

John picked up his pace, knowing that it wasn't going to last for much longer. “Amazing, baby. So amazing.”

“Johnny,” Bobby panted, moaning shamelessly as he felt his climax approaching. “Motherfuck.”

John sighed when he felt Bobby start to come, tightening his grip on his lover's cock ever so slightly. He groaned when Bobby's muscles clenched around him, pulling him over the edge into orgasmic bliss, calling out Bobby's name as he collapsed down onto him. They laid motionless for a few minutes before John shifted and slid out of Bobby, rolling onto his back and pulling the condom off. 

“Fuck, that was fantastic,” John murmured.

Bobby barely lifted his head as he watched John toss the used condom into the trash, sucking in a deep breath as he settled himself along Bobby's side and kissed him gently. “John.”

“How do you feel now?” John asked gently, brushing Bobby's hair out of his eyes.

Bobby shivered and moved closer to John, letting his eyes slip closed. “Incredible.”

“Good,” John said, resting his head on Bobby's shoulder. 

Bobby sighed happily. “We should do that again.”

“Oh, we will,” John laughed. “We most definitely will.”

**********

“John, come on bitch, tell me about him!”

John sighed and leaned against the bar. “I don't know what you think there is to tell, Kurt.”

“Tell me about the boyfriend, of course!” Kurt exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing a bottle of vodka. “I can totally tell you have one.”

“I do not have a boyfriend,” John said firmly. “Leave me alone.”

“Oh, honey, I can tell, okay? I can tell, Wanda can tell, Theresa can tell. And if you don't fucking start talking, I'm asking Jubes about it.”

John groaned. “You're not going to let this go until I tell you, are you?”

“Of course not,” Kurt said, handing John a glass. “Now spill before the club fills up with people or I'll make you tell all in front of everyone in the restaurant tomorrow.”

John knocked back the shot and set the glass on the bar, sliding it back towards Kurt. “There's really not a whole lot to say, actually. I met him, we fucked, and for some motherfucking reason, we've kept fucking.”

“Which is so out of character for you I can't even begin to describe it,” Kurt said, grinning. “So you've kept fucking him.”

John just nodded. “Yes. The sex was fucking fantastic.”

“But you're doing more than just fucking him, right? Because you totally should be.”

“Kurt, you have no idea who this guy is. And you don't get to tell me what to do.”

Kurt sighed dramatically. “I'm just trying to help you out. You've never had a boyfriend before.”

“I have had boyfriends before.”

“Guys who you fooled around with for a few weeks in high school do not count as boyfriends.”

“I'm done with this conversation,” John said, standing up straight.

“Hey, no,” Kurt said, reaching out and grabbing John by the elbow. “I'm just happy for you, bitch. You have been super miserable for a very long time.”

John just rolled his eyes. “I am not fucking miserable.”

“Okay, maybe miserable is the wrong word for it. Maybe the right word for it is lonely.”

John groaned. “You are going to ruin my image if anyone hears you talking like that.”

Kurt just winked at him. “It'll be our little secret then.”

“Just like my boyfriend right?” John asked, giving Kurt a glare that dared him to disagree.

“Oh my God, you actually acknowledged you have a boyfriend.” Kurt grinned. “Our secret, promise. Well, until you bring him in here, and then he's fair game. It's so good to see you have a boyfriend, John. You have no idea.”

“I motherfucking hate you.”

“No, you don't.”


	5. Chapter 5

Jubilee looked up from the rack of clothes and shook her head. “Kitty, don't you ever sleep?”

Kitty looked up from the other side of the rack and laughed. “I could say the same thing about you, Jubes.”

“It's my night off tonight and let me just say, the first three hours of sitting in that apartment today made me remember why the fuck it is I spend so much time at the restaurant or the club,” Jubilee said, groaning. “There's a screaming baby on one side and what I highly suspect to be someone making amateur porn on the other. I had to get out of there for my sanity.”

“Maybe you and John should think about moving,” Kitty said, pulling a shirt off the rack and examining it closer.

“Maybe,” Jubilee said, looking over at her. “Ooh, that color would really bring out your eyes.”

“You think?” Kitty said, holding it up to her chest and looking around for a mirror. “I'm not sure it would fit me.”

Jubilee sighed. “Please, honey, that would be nice and tight and get you all sorts of compliments at the club.”

“Maybe I should try it on then,” Kitty murmured, yelping when Jubilee grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dressing room. “Jubes!”

Jubilee pulled open the door and pushed Kitty inside before stepping in and closing it behind them. “Come on. I want to see!”

“You can be really impatient sometimes, you know that?” Kitty shook her head and hung the shirt on one of the room's hooks, pulling the shirt she was wearing over her head. 

“God, you're so gorgeous,” Jubilee said, reaching out to caress Kitty's stomach. “You're all I've been able to think about.”

Kitty smiled shyly. “You, um, I've thought about you a lot too.”

“Maybe we should do something about that then,” Jubilee said, pulling her hand back. “Now put the shirt on and let me see.”

Kitty swallowed hard before taking the shirt off the hanger and putting it on. She sighed when she turned to look in the mirror, tilting her head to the side. “It's too tight.”

“No, it's not,” Jubilee whispered, moving to stand behind her and running her hands up Kitty's sides. “It's perfect. It looks like it was made just for you. Absolutely motherfucking perfect.”

Kitty blushed and met Jubilee's gaze in the mirror. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jubilee said softly, sliding her hands across Kitty's waist. “You have to buy it.”

Kitty shuddered and leaned back into Jubilee. “You know, Piotr and I are the only people on my floor that are ever home during the day.”

“Oh really,” Jubilee said, nuzzling the side of Kitty's neck. “Must be nice and quiet then.”

“It is,” Kitty said, sighing when one of Jubilee's hands slipped underneath the shirt. “You should come over since it's so noisy at your place. Have a glass of wine or something.”

“I think,” Jubilee said, spinning Kitty around and pushing her up against the mirror, “that I'm going to have to take you up on that offer.”

Kitty bit back a moan as Jubilee pressed against her, sliding her arms around the other woman's neck. “We could do more than have a glass of wine.”

“Mmm,” Jubilee said, sliding her hands around to Kitty's back. “Like what?”

Kitty sighed and pushed Jubilee away, reaching for the shirt she already owned. “Let me go buy this and let's get out of here before we get arrested.”

Jubilee laughed. “So long as that when we get back to your apartment you'll put it back on before we fuck.”

Kitty grinned as she pulled the shirt she was about to buy off. “You can eat me out while I'm wearing it if you like it that much.”

Jubilee slung an arm around Kitty's waist once her shirt was back on, grabbing the shirt she was about to buy from her hands. “I think that I'm going to have to take you up on that offer too.”

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant and she could immediately tell that something was wrong. Bobby's shoulders were slumped and his head was down, and every bit of confidence he'd gained seemed to have left him. She sighed and made her way to a table, sitting there for a moment before Theresa came over to her. “What's up with Bobby?”

“I don't know,” Theresa said honestly. “He's barely said ten words that weren't work-related.”

“I am going to fucking kill whoever hurt him,” Jubilee fumed. “And it better not be John. He promised me he wouldn't be such a fucking asshole to him.”

“For what it's worth, I don't think John is the problem. Bobby excused himself outside for a few minutes when John called him.”

“Then what the fuck could possibly be wrong?” Jubilee sighed and looked over at Bobby. “I'll get it out of him before I leave for the night, even if that means dragging him into the club and getting him smashed.”

“Thanks, girl,” Theresa said, reaching for her order book. “Now, what do you want to order?”

Jubilee quickly rattled off her order and started to look at her phone as Theresa walked away. She looked up a few minutes later to see John slide into the other side of the booth. “I am going to murder you if you are responsible for why Bobby looks like that.”

“I'm not,” John said defensively. “Well, I am but it's not what you think.”

“Then what the fuck is it?” Jubilee demanded.

John sighed heavily. “Bobby and I had phone sex last night.”

“And that's supposed to be news to me? You two have phone sex practically every night.”

“We do not,” John protested. “And when we do, he usually doesn't get caught by the roommate right as he's moaning my name and coming.”

Jubilee stared at him for a moment. “Fuck.”

“Exactly,” John said. “He'll barely talk to me about it. And this is something that I actually know something about so I want to make sure he knows that things are going to be okay. But he will say hardly anything to me.”

Jubilee turned and looked over at him, feeling her heart break at the look on his face as Piotr tried to talk to him. “Go drag his ass outside and tell him anyway.”

“He's working, Jubes.”

“So what?” Jubilee said. “I know Charles will understand.”

“Jubes.”

“Fine then, I'll drag him over here.”

“Jubes, don't,” John started, but Jubilee was up and headed towards Bobby before he could finish. “Fucking hell, woman.”

Jubilee walked up to Bobby and grabbed him by the elbow. “Bobby is taking a break now,” she said firmly to Piotr. “And I don't know when it will be over.”

Piotr just nodded as Jubilee pulled Bobby over to where John was sitting, shoving him down next to him before sitting down. “Alright, gorgeous. Talk.”

“I don't know what to say,” Bobby got out before his voice broke, and John pulled him into his arms and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

“It's going to be okay, baby. I know it doesn't seem that way but it's the truth.”

Bobby took a shuddering breath in. “She's so disappointed in me. She's so angry with me.”

“Then she's not worth your fucking time,” Jubilee said seriously. “It's far more important to be true to yourself than hang on to some homophobic friend.”

“Marie is not homophobic, I think, though she did say some shit,” Bobby said firmly. “I think she's more shocked than anything. I have never given anyone even a hint of an idea that I might be gay. Ever.”

John pulled him closer. “Jubes is still right. If she can't accept you for who you are, then she's not worth your time.”

“I don't,” Bobby started, then paused to make sure he didn't choke up. “I don't know if she will or she won't yet. She said she needed time to process.”

“Well, that's good at least,” Jubilee said, her voice soft. “It's not flat out rejection.”

“Feels like it.”

John pressed another kiss to his temple. “My roommate walked in on me fucking someone. He was out the door before I could say a thing, and when he finally came back to the apartment, he went on a twenty-minute homophobic rant and then kicked me out on my ass. Trust me, she could have reacted a whole lot worse.”

Bobby let his head rest on John's shoulder. “I know you're right. I know you are. But...”

“But nothing,” Jubilee said firmly. “This is one less person you have to hide from and that's always a good thing, gorgeous. I know you are sick of hearing it but you really are going to feel so much better once you stop hiding, no matter what it costs you.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “I want to call my parents and tell them. I really do. I'm just fucking terrified.”

“I know, but it's going to be okay,” John said. “You just have to trust us.”

Bobby nodded. “I need to get back to work.”

“Bobby,” John said as he stood up. “You're not alone. Remember that.”

“I'll try.”

“I've never wanted to kill people I've never met so much in my life,” Jubilee murmured as Bobby walked away. “These fucking people are going to destroy him.”

“I told you he came from one of those homes,” John said, slumping down. “I tried to tell him that shouldn't matter but of course it does.”

“I'm surprised you even know that.”

“We do a lot of talking after we fuck,” John said, shrugging. “It's fucking weird. I've told him all kinds of shit that I can't believe actually came out of my mouth.”

“You're acting like a human being, you mean,” Jubilee pointed out. “And it's about damn time.”

“It's not that big of a deal.”

“John, you hadn't fucked the same guy twice in years. This thing with Bobby is good for you whether you want to admit that or not.”

John ran his hands over his face. “I came here to see how he was doing, not to get lectured.”

“You coming here to see how he's doing just proves my point,” Jubilee said as Theresa approached the table with her food. “Thanks, darling.”

“No problem, girl,” Theresa said as she set the plate down. “You want something, John?”

“A cup of coffee,” John said, sucking in a deep breath. “I am waiting for Bobby's shift to end so you can go tell him I'm not going anywhere.”

Theresa stared at him incredulously. “Seriously? You're going to wait for Bobby?”

“I am capable of being a friend, Cassidy,” John said bitterly. “And he needs a friend right now.”

“If you say so, Allerdyce,” Theresa said, shaking her head. “I'll get your coffee and deliver your message.”

“Thank you.” John turned back to Jubilee and sighed. “What?”

“Don't fuck him tonight,” Jubilee said seriously. “That will not help.”

“I'm not going to,” John said, rolling his eyes. “Give me a little more credit than that.”

“I don't know about that, Johnny,” Jubilee said, picking up her fork. “But offer to let him spend the night if he does not want to face the roommate.”

“I will. Now talk about something else.”

**********

John wrapped his arms around Bobby's waist as soon as they were inside the apartment, sighing when Bobby buried his face in his neck. “Let's get some sleep, okay?”

“I won't be able to sleep,” Bobby said softly as John walked them over to the bed. “I still have what happened going through my mind.”

“Oh, baby.” John pressed a kiss to Bobby's forehead before whipping his shirt over his head. “Bobby, baby, you need sleep.”

“Need you,” Bobby mumbled, sliding his hands under John's shirt. “Fuck me.”

John barely suppressed a moan as Bobby started trailing kisses along the side of his neck. “Bobby.”

“I mean it,” Bobby said, moving up to John's jawline and finally bringing their lips together. “Fuck me.”

“Bobby,” John groaned. “Why are you so fucking hard to say no to?”

“Because you don't want to say no?” Bobby said softly, kissing John again. “I'm serious, John. Fuck me or I'll go back to the club and find someone who will.”

“Bobby, no, I'm not going to fuck you,” John whispered, pushing Bobby down onto the bed and pulling his shirt off before joining him. “I don't want you to regret this.”

“I'm not going to fucking regret this,” Bobby exclaimed, pulling John into another kiss. “I need the distraction right now, John. Please.”

John sighed and bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to Bobby's lips. “Then I'll distract you, baby, but I don't have to fuck you to do that.”

“Why are you so resistant to this tonight? You usually cannot wait to get inside me.”

“Because I remember what I did after the incident with my roommate and I don't want you to look back on this the way I look back on that.”

Bobby stared up at him in confusion. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you will never relax enough for this not to hurt,” John said simply. “And I refuse to hurt you the way I was hurt.”

Bobby's eyes softened and he pulled John to him, running his hands along his back. “Someone hurt you?”

John nodded against him. “It's why I top exclusively now. It was the most physically painful experience of my life. But I didn't care at the time because I thought the pain was something I deserved because it matched the emotional pain I was in. It took me a while before I realized that I didn't deserve it, that the guy I'd been with that night had just taken advantage of me and didn't do enough to make sure that I was truly ready, and I just...why do you think I always do everything I can to get you to relax? I don't want to hurt you the way I was hurt. I never want to hurt anyone the way I was hurt.”

“Oh Johnny,” Bobby murmured, pulling him closer. “I'm so, so sorry.”

“I know exactly what you're feeling like tonight,” John practically whispered. “I know how much what she said to you hurts. But sex isn't going to make that go away, no matter how much you think it will. So I'm not going to fuck you because I know it will hurt you and you're hurt enough already.”

Bobby pulled John up so he could press their lips together. “I trust you, you know. I know you wouldn't hurt me.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” John mumbled, bringing their lips together again. “But I still won't fuck you tonight.”

Bobby nodded. “I understand. I really do.”

“Don't ever tell anyone I told you that, alright? Not even Jubes knows about that.”

“I won't say a word. I promise.”

John brought their lips together again and Bobby sighed into the kiss, bringing his arms up to wrap around John's neck. “I still need to be distracted.”

“Then I will distract you to the best of my ability,” John said softly, reaching for the top of Bobby's pants and tugging at them lightly. “Lift up your hips so I can get these off, okay?”

Bobby did as John asked, tangling his fingers in John's hair a few moments later when he felt him move in between his legs. He smiled when he felt the now familiar kiss along the inside of his thigh. “Why do you always do that?”

“To let you know that I care,” John mumbled, pressing another kiss there before moving his mouth upwards. 

John licked along the underside of Bobby's cock from base to tip, smiling when he heard Bobby moan above him. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the base before wrapping his lips around the head and slowly sinking down. He set an easy, almost lazy pace, slowly bringing Bobby's level of arousal up. Soft groans started spilling from Bobby's lips and John took encouragement from the way that Bobby's hips started to come off the mattress.

He picked up the pace and began to take Bobby deeper, and before long he was taking him all the way to the base on every stroke. Bobby's moans grew with every passing second, but John was still keeping him on the edge, not quite ready to bring him all the way. John pulled back, circling his tongue around the head for several moments before taking him all the way down and swallowing around him.

“Holy fuck, Johnny,” Bobby exclaimed. “What the fuck was that?”

John came back up and gave Bobby a huge grin. “You like?”

“Fucking hell yes,” Bobby breathed out. “Where did you learn to do that?”

John didn't answer, just took him down to the base and did it again, his hands coming up to pin Bobby's hips to the mattress to keep him from choking him. Bobby was writhing beneath him by the time he pulled back and took him down again, this time at a much faster pace. Beautiful, delicious moans were coming from above him as he felt Bobby's fingers tighten in his hair, and he took him all the way down and swallowed again, hearing Bobby scream as his orgasm tore through him. John let Bobby's cock slip from between his lips and sat back, staring down at him. Bobby's skin was flushed and his eyes were wide as John licked his lips, and all John could think about was how fucking gorgeous Bobby looked like that. 

“Holy fuck that's indecent,” Bobby murmured after a moment, and John laughed. 

“Still thinking about things?”

Bobby just shook his head. “I think you melted my brain.”

John grinned. “That was the whole point.”

“Where the fuck did you learn how to do that?”

John just shrugged. “Picked it up somewhere along the way.”

“I'm going to have to remember that when I suck you off,” Bobby said, letting his head fall back against the mattress.

John groaned just at the thought of Bobby's mouth on his cock, something he had yet to experience. “Well, whenever you want to give it a try, I'm more than willing to play teacher, because I can tell that your mouth is going to be filthy.”

“Is that so?”

John crawled up Bobby's body and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Oh yes, that is a fact.”

Bobby's hand trailed down John's chest as he settled beside him, frowning when it came into contact with John's pants. “You're not undressed.”

“You like to state the obvious.”

“How can I reciprocate if you're not undressed?”

“Tonight is not about me,” John said firmly. “Tonight is about you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Bobby smiled and drew John into another kiss. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Distracting me.”

“Anytime, Bobby. Anytime.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jubilee let herself into the DJ booth, smiling at Kitty as she slid the pair of headphones down off her ears. “Music's been great tonight.”

“Thanks,” Kitty said, reaching out to transition the song that was playing into the next. “Did you bring me my drink?”

“Of course,” Jubilee said, walking over to her and setting it down. “One whiskey sour, as requested.”

Jubilee went to walk away but Kitty grabbed her by the wrist. “You able to talk to me for a minute?”

Jubilee nodded and pulled up the other chair. “Kurt can handle things by himself for a few.”

Kitty looked out over the dance floor and when she was sure that no one was staring at the booth, she leaned closer to Jubilee. “Piotr wants you to come over again.”

Jubilee swallowed hard. “He does?”

“He really enjoyed the other day,” Kitty said softly, running one of her hands up Jubilee's leg. “We both did. I hope you did too.”

“I'd never,” Jubilee started, pausing to clear her throat. “I'd never done that before.”

Kitty laughed. “Neither had we.”

“Really?” Jubilee asked, blushing when she realized how stupid she sounded. “I mean, I never would have, um, yeah, I liked it.”

Kitty smiled and pulled her hand away. “Am I making you nervous? I don't mean to be.”

“I'm just really confused,” Jubilee blurted out, closing her eyes as soon as she said it. “I mean, I'm a lesbian but you two are straight but you're not exactly straight and I'd never had sex with a man before but fuck, I liked it, and, um...”

“Sexuality is fluid,” Kitty said as she reached for her drink, looking out over the dance floor. “So that doesn't mean that Piotr and I aren't open to the idea of a little bit of playing around. Especially after discovering that it could feel like that.”

“I still am confused.”

Kitty took a long drink from her glass. “Don't worry, darling. We all are.”

Jubilee took a deep breath and swallowed hard again. “So, um, should I bring the wine this time?”

Kitty grinned and slid the headphones back on. “Bring some of that really good Merlot that you sell behind the bar. Piotr loves that stuff.”

“Then I will do so,” Jubilee said, standing up. “When?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Kitty said, spinning the glass around in her hands. “If you want.”

Jubilee bent down and brushed a kiss along Kitty's cheek. “I want. I'll see you then.”

**********

“Look, Bobby, I adore you and you know this, but if you're going to be staying with us for much longer, I would suggest heading to your apartment when she isn't there and getting some of your stuff. I know John has enjoyed seeing you in his clothes, but gorgeous, he only has so many clothes and laundry isn't something John's very good at.”

Bobby looked down as he walked in the door of the restaurant, smiling at the tight t-shirt he was wearing. “John was very happy to see me in this earlier today.”

“Oh I know, gorgeous, trust me I know. I heard all about it when I went to bring him some lunch earlier,” Jubilee said, heading towards the counter. “But John's style is totally not your style. I thought we figured out your style that day I took you shopping.”

“You mean the day you drained my bank account?” Bobby asked, walking around the counter and shoving his bag underneath it. “I'm still trying to recover from that.”

“Yeah, well, you can recover by actually wearing the clothes that we bought and to do that you're going to have to go back to your apartment.”

“Right,” Bobby said, his eyes fixed on the corner booth. “Apartment.”

Jubilee gave him a confused look and followed his gaze to where a woman was sitting. “Who is she?”

“Marie,” Bobby said, swallowing hard. “That's Marie.”

Jubilee reached out and squeezed Bobby's hand. “I thought you said she didn't know where you worked.”

“She didn't,” Bobby said, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “I don't know how she found me or why she's here.”

“She's here because she says she wants to talk to you,” Charles said, coming up behind him. “She's been waiting for nearly an hour.”

Bobby turned to see Charles peering at him with concern. “She has?”

“I can have her thrown out if you want me to,” Charles said seriously. “Peter will be all too happy to do it.”

“No,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “I'll go talk to her.”

“You sure, gorgeous?” Jubilee asked, squeezing his hand again.

“Yeah.”

“You want me to go with you?”

“No,” Bobby said, giving her a shaky smile. “I need to do this myself.”

“Okay,” Jubilee said, letting go of his hand. “But remember, Bobby, you're not alone. Not even close.”

Bobby nodded and walked over to the corner booth, sliding into the bench and looking across the table. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Marie said, giving him a smile. “I was worried about you. It's been a week.”

“How did you find me?”

“Pay stubs in your room. You never did tell me where you were workin'.”

“There was a reason for that.”

“I suspect there were reasons for a lot of things,” Marie murmured. “I'd like to hear them.”

“Look, I don't know why you're here but if it's just to say more of the shit you said to me then get the fuck out of here before I have Peter throw you out.”

“Bobby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said. I was just shocked.”

“There's being shocked, Marie, and then there's what you said. And I haven't even told anyone around here most of it.”

Marie sighed heavily. “It was stuff my father used to say about our neighbors. It just came out. I didn't mean to say it about you. I didn't mean a word of it.”

“You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe that.”

“I don't blame you for that. I really don't.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Bobby slumped down and let his head rest against the back of the bench. “What do you want really?”

“I want you to come back to the apartment.”

“Oh come on.”

“I want you to stop hiding stuff from me.”

“Christ.”

“And I want to get to know you. And I mean the real you, not whoever it is you've been pretendin' to be.”

“For fuck's sake, Marie.”

“I don't care, Bobby,” Marie said forcefully. “I honest to God do not care. I love you. Whoever it is you choose to fuck doesn't matter to me.”

Bobby stared at her for a few moments before sighing heavily. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Look, I understand that this revelation didn't happen in the best of ways and I understand that my reaction to it made things even worse, but I really want to move past all that and figure out what the fuck's actually goin' on.”

“You really want to know?” 

Marie nodded. “I'd love to know who John is, Bobby. I really would.”

“I don't know how to explain him to you,” Bobby said after a moment. “There's only like two other people who know it's going on. He sort of has a reputation.”

Marie smiled. “Did you hook up with the bad boy, Bobby Drake?”

Bobby laughed. “Kinda?”

Marie's smile turned into a grin. “I can't wait to hear more about him.”

“This is going to be awkward.”

“Perhaps, but it'll be worth it.”

“You really think so?”

“Bobby Drake, you've obviously been hidin' this for years. Don't you think finally tellin' someone about it is goin' to be good?”

Bobby took in a shuddering breath. “I'm afraid you'll go tell my parents.”

Marie just shook her head. “No, you should be the one to do that. But you totally need to.”

“I know,” Bobby said, looking out at the restaurant's growing number of customers. “I really need to get to work. I, um...”

“Come home tonight,” Marie said as they both stood. “I'll get us some whiskey and we can talk all about it, okay?”

Bobby nodded. “I thought you hated me.”

“I think I'm genetically programmed not to hate you, Bobby Drake, and you know that,” Marie said, laughing. “But I wouldn't have hated you over this anyway. I was just shocked and confused.”

“I know,” Bobby said, pulling her into a hug. “And I promise you I will tell you everything tonight when I get home.”

“Alright, I'll see you then,” Marie said, giving him one last smile before walking away. 

Bobby stood there for a few moments before he felt a hand slip into his, and he turned to see Jubilee standing there. “Go okay?”

“Way better than I thought it would, to be honest,” Bobby admitted. “I'm going to go home tonight and have a very long, whiskey-fueled talk with her.”

“Then I'll keep John from calling and interrupting it,” Jubilee said, pulling Bobby into a hug. “But no matter the outcome of that conversation, just remember that you're not alone. Not anymore.”

“I will, Jubes. I promise.”

**********

John stared at Jubilee across the bar before tilting his head to the side. “You got laid.”

“No, I didn't,” Jubilee said way too fast, and John gave her a look. “Alright, so maybe I went home with someone last night. It's fine.”

“Jubes, you were there when I got up this morning. You did not go home with someone last night.”

“Fuck,” Jubilee murmured, reaching for the vodka and quickly refilling John's drink. “I can't talk to you about this.”

John studied her for a moment before leaning in closer. “Kitty?”

Jubilee groaned and just nodded. “Not a word about it.”

“I won't say a thing and you know it,” John said, reaching out to grab her hand when she set his glass down. “But you've got to talk to someone about it.”

Jubilee took a deep breath. “It's not just her, alright?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that she also has someone who she is in a relationship with,” Jubilee said softly. “And that makes things somewhat complicated.”

“So if things get serious enough between you then she'll ditch Piotr,” John said, knocking back his drink. “Come on, I know Kitty enough to know that.”

Jubilee swallowed hard. “That's not exactly what I meant.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that when I went over to her place earlier, Piotr was there.”

John gave her a confused look. “But you got laid.”

“Precisely,” Jubilee said, leaning back against the bar and waiting for John to get it. 

His eyes widened once he did. “What the fuck?”

Jubilee groaned and put her head down. “I have no fucking clue.”

“Jubes, you're a lesbian.”

“I know.”

“But you let him fuck you?”

“I let them both fuck me,” Jubilee said, shaking her head. “And I enjoyed the motherfucking hell out of it.”

“Was that the first time this has happened?” John asked, threading his fingers into her hair. “Be honest.”

“No,” Jubilee mumbled. “We're meeting up again on Thursday.”

“Jubilation Lee.”

“I know, I know,” Jubilee groaned. “But it's too goddamn good not to, and well, I've got such a thing for Kitty, and Piotr's always been great to me, and...I know. I really, really know.”

John just stared at her for a moment before tilting her chin upward. “Listen to me, okay? I don't fucking care. Whatever makes you happy. I'm just worried you're going to get hurt.”

“I don't know what I'm going to be. I don't even know how to explain this.”

“Then don't,” John said simply. “Just enjoy yourself.”

“John.”

“I'm fucking serious. And if this reaches a point where other people know about it and they give you shit, I'm happy to knock anyone the fuck out for you.”

Jubilee let out a small laugh. “I know. And I appreciate that.”

“I'm serious, Jubes. I don't care what kind of kinky sex you get up to.”

“Ooh, kinky sex?” came Kurt's voice, and they both looked over to see him approaching. “Do tell.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “I think the only one who is into the kinky sex you're thinking of is you and Peter.”

Kurt leaned up against the bar next to her. “Peter and I do not fuck.”

“Sure you don't,” Jubilee and John said at the same time.

“I'm being serious!”

“Sure you are,” they both said at the same time again.

“Why does no one ever believe that?”

“Because you two are so fucking obvious and have been for years,” Jubilee said, shaking her head.

“I'm with Jubes on this one,” John said, motioning for Jubilee to refill his drink. “I've known you two were fucking since the moment I met the two of you.”

Kurt just rolled his eyes. “You two are absurd.”

“Well, what do you expect us to think?” John asked, giving Jubilee a smile as she poured him another glass. “You live together, you do practically everything together, and neither one of you seems very interested in relationships.”

“Says the man who doesn't do relationships.”

“Well, there's a good reason for that,” John said, knocking back his drink and looking around. “I probably should go anyway.”

Jubilee reached across the bar and pulled him into a kiss. “Just make sure to cover yourself up with the sheets tonight, okay? I don't need to walk in on your naked ass again in the morning.”

“I don't want that to happen again either,” John laughed. “And Jubes? I'm fucking serious.”

Jubilee just nodded. “I know you are. I'll be alright.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, Johnny boy.”

She turned to look at Kurt as John walked away, shaking her head immediately. “I'm not telling you.”

“Oh come on, bartenders' pact!”

“Some things are not meant for you to hear,” Jubilee said. “Trust me on that.”

“Is this about you fucking Kitty?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh please, girl, it was obvious.”

Jubilee groaned. “You can't tell anyone about that.”

“I haven't, calm down. I think KitKat would kill me if I went around saying she was experimenting.”

“Experimenting with what?”

They turned to look and found Kitty standing there, and Kurt blushed furiously. “Um, with some new sounds, that's all. Oh, look, a customer.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes as he walked away, turning to smile at Kitty. “He somehow figured out that you and I have fucked. But only you and I.”

“Good, because I don't want people knowing about that yet,” Kitty said. “Whiskey sour? And then meet me in the booth around close?”

“Coming right up. What am I meeting you for?”

Kitty swallowed hard. “I was asked to bring you home with me.”

Jubilee nearly dropped the bottle in her hands. “Excuse me?”

“I was pretty much ordered to bring you home with me, actually. He doesn't want to wait until Thursday.”

Jubilee nodded shakily as she reached for a glass. “I see.”

“He's not the only one,” Kitty said softly. “Please come home with me.”

Jubilee quickly mixed the drink before sliding it across the bar at Kitty. “We're making it look like we left separately or Kurt's going to start telling people we've hooked up more than once.”

“Perfectly fine with me,” Kitty said, picking up her drink and giving Jubilee a smile. “I'll see you later then.”

“Yeah, you will.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jubilee sauntered into the restaurant and glanced over at the counter, bursting out with laughter when she saw Theresa. “Cassidy, what have you done?”

“What?” Theresa said, glancing at her reflection in the mirror behind the counter. “Oh, you mean my hair?”

Jubilee shook her head and walked over to the counter. “Yes, I'm talking about the purple monstrosity that used to be your hair.”

“Fuck off, girl,” Theresa said, sighing when Bobby walked up to the counter. “Why the fuck are we so busy today?”

Bobby shrugged and smiled at Jubilee. “I don't know but I'm not complaining. And no making fun of Theresa's hair. Emma liked it so much she gave me a twenty dollar tip.”

“What the fuck is that bitch doing giving you a big tip because she likes my hair?” Theresa screeched.

“I've got no idea but I wasn't about to question it,” Bobby said, taking off his apron and tossing it onto the counter. 

“And where the fuck do you think you're going?”

“I get off at ten tonight because I came into work early,” Bobby said, smiling at Theresa. “And table nine refused to let me take their order. They want you.”

“Table nine?” Theresa looked over at it. “Fuck, I guess Esmé's back in town.”

“Ooh,” Jubilee said, grinning at her. “Old conquest time.”

“Theresa, quit fucking around and go take table nine's order. Bobby, go the fuck home or whatever it is you do once your shift is over. Jubilee, get the fuck behind the bar and get ready to work,” Charles said, grabbing an ashtray and pulling out his cigarettes. “We're busy today and I don't pay you all to fucking gossip.”

Theresa nearly dropped the plate she'd just grabbed. “Where the fuck did you come from? I didn't even know you were here.”

“I was over in the club,” Charles said, flicking his lighter open and holding the end of his cigarette to the flame. “What the fuck are you all still standing here for?”

Jubilee grabbed onto Bobby's arm and pulled him away from the counter and over to a booth, shoving him into it before sitting down. “Hm, Charles and Erik must have had a fight. I also heard about your fight with John.”

“It's not that big of a deal,” Bobby said, sighing. “Besides, everything he said was right.”

“Don't let him pressure you into something you're not ready to do,” Jubilee said firmly. “I don't fucking care how much I love John. If you're not ready to tell them then you're not ready to tell them.”

Bobby slumped down into the bench. “Charles told me that if I wait until I'm ready then I'm never going to do it. And I'm starting to think that he's right.”

“That's some good advice,” Jubilee murmured. “But it's entirely up to you when you choose to do it.”

“My mother thinks I have a girlfriend,” Bobby said quickly. “She said she knew there was someone and I couldn't lie to her about that. I just didn't let her know that someone was definitely not a girlfriend and more of a possible boyfriend.”

“John know that?”

“What do you think kicked off the fight?” Bobby said, shaking his head. “I don't know how to explain this to anyone.”

Jubilee studied him for a moment. “Just tell her.”

“What? 'Mom, I'm gay.' Yeah right.”

“No, I'm serious,” Jubilee said. “Just sit her down and tell her that you gave her the wrong impression when you told her you have someone because she assumed that person was female when they very much are not.”

“I will be cut out of their life before I could blink.”

“I'm not so sure about that,” Jubilee said. “She might be more supportive than you think.”

“You've never met her.”

“Well, she surely isn't so out of touch with this scene that she's batted an eyelash about you working here. And she has to know what this restaurant and club are. This place is the gay Mecca of the Northeast. I know it's well known in Boston.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “She might think that I still work where I used to.”

Jubilee glared at him. “Bobby.”

“I know, I know,” Bobby said, running his hands over his face. “Now do you understand why John's so frustrated with me?”

“You want to know the real reason John is frustrated with you?” Jubilee asked, continuing when Bobby nodded. “It's twofold, really. First, he cannot deal with how you make him feel so he's doing everything he can to deny it and therefore he's trying to convince himself that he doesn't care about you. Second, he's reliving everything he went through because he went through exactly what you're going through now. He denied the fact that he was gay to himself for years, finally decided to just be himself, and his parents were complete motherfucking dicks about it. He has moved on and realized that for his life to be the way he wants it to be it's better for them not to be a part of it, but that cut him really fucking deep. He knows it's most likely going to be the same for you and he wants you to just get it over with because he knows how much happier he is and he just wants you to be like that too. Which goes back to the first part because admitting to all of that means admitting that he cares about you. So he's a conundrum of emotions at the moment, and the one thing John Allerdyce specializes in is the absence of emotions, so he absolutely fucking hates it. That's why he's so goddamn frustrated with you.”

Bobby thought about that for a moment. “Be honest with me, Jubes? Am I chasing something with him that I'm never going to get?”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “I honestly cannot answer that question. John has never acted this way about anyone. I mean, fuck, he hasn't picked up anyone in almost three months. Before he fucked you, I'm not sure I'd seen him go three days without picking someone up. You made a serious impression on him, but because he's so convinced that he doesn't need to feel anything, he's trying very hard to tell himself that you didn't. Whether he allows himself to actually admit that he does care about you and wants you around for more than just a quick fuck after your shift is something that I cannot tell you. It's hard to get a read on him in this situation.”

“He's getting tired of me, I can tell. And I really don't want him to be tired of me. I just don't know what to do about it.”

Jubilee looked up when the door to the restaurant opened, standing up. “You stay here, okay? I'll be right back.”

Bobby nodded and stared out the window until he heard someone sit down across from him. He turned to say something to Jubilee only to find John sitting there and he sighed heavily. “Hi.”

“I was a bitch yesterday,” John said. “I was an absolute fucking whiny bitch and you really didn't deserve that.”

“No, I did.”

“No, you really didn't.”

“You're right, you know. You're right about all of it. I'm just fucking terrified.”

“I know you are. I've been there,” John said, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I told you that I'd help out with your roommate and, by extension, parents. But I can't help you if you don't let me. And I definitely can't help you if you continue to let your mother think that you have a girlfriend.”

“Well I can't exactly tell her I have a boyfriend, now can I?” Bobby spit out. “You don't want anything to do with me except to fuck.”

“That's not true.”

“Isn't it? Name one thing we've done that didn't somehow quickly turn into us back at your place fucking. Name one.” Bobby just shook his head when John didn't say anything. “You've got me so motherfucking confused, you know. You just fucking stand there and act like you know exactly what the fuck I should be doing and thinking because you're so fucking out and proud and you think it's the best motherfucking thing in the world, and it drives me motherfucking crazy because how can you know what's best for me when I fucking don't!”

John sighed. “Remember earlier when I called myself a bitch? Add fucking selfish douchebag onto that.”

“You are not,” Bobby said quietly.

“No, I really am,” John said. “I'm used to getting whatever I want whenever I want it and right now that is you but I can't have you the way I want to so I'm being a fucking asshole about it.”

“And how do you want me?” Bobby asked. “Because I honestly don't know.”

“I don't know how to describe it.”

“It can't possibly be that difficult.”

“You are the first man I've fucked more than once since I was nineteen,” John eventually said. “And I'm almost twenty-five.”

Bobby's eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” John said, staring at him. “That first night was supposed to be a one night stand. But you were so good and you were so innocent and I don't even know, Bobby. You got under my fucking skin. I haven't regretted a single moment I've spent with you since that night, which should really bother me more than it does. But there are little things that I keep thinking about that I know would be easily solved if you would just tell someone that you're fucking queer. I am a selfish prick and I don't have the patience to do all the closeted psychologist shit. And yet I'm willing to do that for you. I want you around. I'm just trying to fucking deal with that because this never happens to me.”

Bobby took a deep breath as he tried to process all of that. “I don't know how it is I'm supposed to know that I'm willing to give up everything I've ever known when I don't know what it is I'm going to have once I do. Yeah, I've met a lot of nice people since I came to the club that night, but I don't fucking care about any of them the way I care about you. And I don't want to do this if I don't know that you will be there for me once I do. I need to know that I'm giving all of that up for something that's going to be worth it.”

“You shouldn't be giving it up over me.”

“I'm not. I'm giving it up for someone to be able to be there. I just want to know if it's going to be you.”

John sat there for a moment. “I really like you, Bobby. Like a lot. I've never wanted anything remotely close to dating someone, happy to just fuck around and survive, but with you...with you, I actually care. I don't know what I'm doing because I've never done this before, but God, Bobby, we've got to try or I'll go insane. I want you that much. So that's what I'm offering and I can't tell you if all of that answers what you are asking me. That's for you to decide.”

Bobby slid out of the booth and sat down on the other side, getting close to John. “Kiss me.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said kiss me.” Bobby leaned up against John. “I want you to kiss me.”

“Everyone's going to see that,” John said, sighing when Bobby's hands tangled in his hair.

Bobby just nodded. “I'm not hiding this if you want to do it, not from these people. And I promise you I will tell my parents. But you've got to give me some more time.”

“Bobby,” John said softly, and that's when Bobby decided he'd had enough of talking. 

He pulled John closer and pressed their lips together, sighing into the kiss when John's arms slid around his waist. Bobby trailed his right hand down to John's neck, whimpering when John broke the kiss and pulled away. “Johnny.”

“Fuck,” John murmured, pulling him closer. “Do you know how much I want to lay you down on the nearest flat surface and fuck the hell out of you when you call me that?”

Bobby laughed. “I'll have to call you that often then.”

John leaned in and kissed him some more. “I hope you're ready for the Spanish Inquisition from everyone else because I know they're all staring at us right now.”

“I'll deal with it tomorrow,” Bobby said, pressing another kiss to John's lips. “All I know right now is that my shift is over and I don't care when I get home.”

John groaned at the thought. “So let's sprint to the train station and hope there are no delays then because I need you spread out and writhing beneath me soon.”

“Sounds good to me.”

**********

Wanda handed the customer in front of her their change and shook her head, sighing. “I am not having this conversation with you.”

“Yes, you are,” Peter said, grabbing a cup and pouring himself some coffee. “The customer is gone so let's get back to what we were talking about.”

Wanda groaned and shook her head. “Were we talking about something? Because I don't remember us talking about anything.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Yes, we were talking about that very cute British guy you were chatting up all morning yesterday.”

“He was just a tourist, Peter,” Wanda said, grabbing a cloth and wiping off the counter. “There is nothing to talk about.”

“A tourist you took home though, right?” Peter said, laughing when Wanda glared at him. “Oh come on, bitch, I haven't seen you flirt like that in ages. Tell me you at least got something out of it.”

Wanda sighed heavily. “He is a married man with three little boys at home and, unlike you, I can't do that.”

“Oh, don't you even make me out to be some sort of homewrecking whore,” Peter said, smiling at Wanda to let her know he wasn't offended. “But seriously, married with kids? That fucking sucks. Although, he was asking for it as much as you were offering it.”

“I wasn't offering anything,” Wanda said, walking around Peter and heading towards her office. “And even if I was, I don't think he would have taken it.”

“Then you clearly need to get out more, because he so would have gone home with you!” Peter laughed and grinned at Bobby as he walked back to the counter. “So, Bobby, I must say, I'm loving the new look.”

Bobby blushed and set his tray on the counter, bringing his hands up to cover his eyes. “Jubes talked me into it because she said I'd get better tips but I look fucking ridiculous, don't I?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Peter reached across the counter and pulled Bobby's arms down. “I always knew you would be fucking gorgeous in eyeliner.”

Bobby blushed even more and dropped his gaze to the floor. “I feel like an idiot.”

“That's just because you're not used to it,” Peter said, walking around the counter and taking Bobby's face in his hands. “You're gorgeous, baby. Trust me on that.”

Bobby smiled and gave Peter a quick kiss. “Thanks, honey.”

Peter laughed. “You get gayer by the day, Bobby. I love it.”

“He's right, you know,” Warren said, turning away from the grill to look at him. “You're fucking gorgeous with that on. John's going to lose his mind when he sees you.”

Bobby sighed heavily and leaned up against the counter. “I don't know about that. He doesn't seem like the type who is too interested in that part of all this.”

“He's not,” Warren agreed. “But he's still going to lose his mind when he sees you. John can handle a little eyeliner. You get up into drag and that would be another story.”

Bobby paused. “Drag?”

“Yeah!” Peter exclaimed. “By the way, I have been totally thinking we need to get you into a skirt and some heels.”

Bobby stared incredulously at Peter. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, I know, it's totally insane to you,” Peter said, smiling at him. “It's just that all I can do is picture your legs shaved down, encased in bright blue nylons, with gorgeous white heels and electric purple leg warmers. And then you'd have to go with a skirt to show off everything. Ooh, or you could borrow my amazing green sequined leotard and wear that over the nylons. Oh my God, that would be an amazing look.”

“Then you go right on ahead and rock it, Peter,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “But I am definitely never, ever, wearing that.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Come on Bobby! Fully embrace the gayness! Learn to be homolicious!”

“Homolicious? Look, Peter, embracing my gayness does not mean I have to wear a leotard and bright blue nylons, okay?” Bobby glanced over at Warren when he burst out laughing. “Oh shut up, Warren. You cannot honestly tell me that you would wear that.”

Warren forced himself to stop laughing. “Well, certainly not in that color range. Make the nylons and heels black, lose the leg warmers, and top it off with a metallic blue mini-dress and a chunky yellow belt and you've got my favorite outfit for when I get up into drag.”

“I really don't know what to say about that,” Bobby said softly, his eyes flicking back and forth between his two friends. “Nylons? Really?”

“You've got to have the nylons,” Peter said, “because they help keep the gaff to hold certain things a lady doesn't have into place and keep them hidden.”

“Gaff?” Bobby asked, then shook his head. “Don't answer that. I'm not dressing like a woman.”

“But you'd make such a pretty one, Bobby,” Warren said, laughing.

“And it's not dressing like a woman,” Peter said, bouncing in excitement. “It's dressing to express the feminine side of yourself. I don't wear heels every day because I want to look like a woman.”

“No, you wear heels every day to get people to stare at you on the train,” Warren said, turning back to the grill. 

“Seriously though, I bet you'd like it,” Peter said, reaching out and grabbing Bobby's hands. “It's just a feeling l get about you.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “If I say I'll try out the heels will you leave me alone?”

“Yes!” Peter squealed. “I'll bring the catalog into work tomorrow and we can pick some out for you!”

“Great.” Bobby picked up his tray and walked into the kitchen, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into.


	8. Chapter 8

John walked into the restaurant and took off his jacket, walking over to a booth and angrily throwing it onto the bench. His scarf followed a moment later, and he ran his hands through his hair before sitting down. Theresa slid into the booth after a few moments, and John just shook his head. “I don't want to talk about it.”

“Too fucking bad,” Theresa said firmly. “Talk.”

“No offense, Theresa, but you are not exactly my confidante.”

“No, I'm not, but Jubes is in Los Angeles and you better goddamn talk before I call her because she will not be happy if I do that,” Theresa said, glancing over at where Bobby was at a different table. “Is there trouble in paradise?”

“God, I think I liked it better before I was in an actual relationship,” John muttered. “And no, it's got nothing to do with Bobby. In fact, it's made me sympathize with him even more.”

“Sympathize?”

“About the fact that he still hasn't told his parents,” John said, slumping down and closing his eyes. “My motherfucking father called.”

Theresa's eyes widened and she reached across the table to grasp one of John's hands. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“What did he want?”

“Same thing he always wants.”

“Which is?”

John opened his eyes and stared at her for a moment before sighing. “When I was a teenager, my parents were convinced that I was going to marry the daughter of my father's best friend and align the families together if you will. And she was a nice girl, don't get me wrong, but we had absolutely nothing in common, and there was never any attraction on my end because of the fact that I'm gay, but I couldn't tell anyone that because I was refusing to admit it to myself so I dated her for a while. And when I decided I couldn't hide who I was anymore, she is the first person I told, and she is the one who told my parents.”

Theresa squeezed John's hand. “I thought you told your parents.”

“Nope,” John said, shaking his head. “My decisions were taken away from me by that fucking bitch. Anyway, my father calls every once and a while to try to tell me that I need to end this experimentation and come home and marry her like I was supposed to. And today he was just so fucking adamant that this was something that should happen, like this is some sort of bad decision that I made and I can change at any moment, and I fucking snapped. Ended up telling him that I'm in a relationship. Then he said a few choice things about Bobby that I definitely did not appreciate and went into homophobic rant for five minutes before I remembered that I could actually end it by hanging up the fucking phone so that's what I did. But whenever he calls my day is completely and totally ruined and I was actually having a fucking good day before that.”

“Oh, sweetheart.”

“Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm just here to wait for Bobby so we can go home and fuck.” Theresa stared at him until John let out an undignified noise. “I'm being serious. That's what I'm here for.”

“I don't doubt that,” Theresa said softly. “But I think you need to talk to him about this.”

“What, so I can scare the fuck out of him about what might happen with his parents? No, thank you.” 

“Theresa!” came Piotr's voice, and she sighed.

“Talk to him, John,” she said as she stood up. “That's what relationships are for.”

John ran his hands through his hair as he let his eyes close, and he sat there for a while listening to the sounds of the restaurant around him. He cracked an eye open when he heard something be set on the table to see a cheeseburger and fries in front of him, and before he could look to see who'd brought it, he felt someone sit down next to him.

“You look like you're having a bad day.”

“You could say that,” John said, turning to look at Bobby and pausing. “Bobby.”

Bobby smiled shyly. “Jubes said it would get me better tips. She was right. Better tips.”

John smiled as his eyes took in the thick lines of kohl. “You're fucking gorgeous, you know that?”

“Really?” Bobby said, his voice a little vulnerable. “I wasn't sure if you'd like it.”

John pulled Bobby close. “You start painting yourself up like Peter or Kurt and we'll have to have a discussion. But some kohl? Especially when it brings out your eyes like it does? No, I like that.”

Bobby sighed and leaned forward, brushing a kiss across John's lips. “Good, because I have been enjoying my tips today.”

John pulled Bobby even closer and Bobby put his head on John's shoulder. “Want to tell me about this bad day?”

John sighed heavily. “Not particularly.”

“Well, I don't want to make you talk about something you don't want to. I'm a good listener if you do though.”

“I know,” John murmured. “I really like you, Bobby. I just had to say that today.”

“Well, thank you. Fuck if I know why though.”

John looked down at him. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means I'm clumsy and I'm awkward and I feel like I never do anything right with anyone. You get annoyed every time I mention that I don't know what I'm doing or the fact that my parents don't know, and you hate the fact that I work here, and I just...”

John pulled him up and into a kiss before Bobby could say another thing. “You have no idea, do you?”

“About?”

“About how you make me feel.”

“Apparently not.” Bobby dropped his gaze down. “I really like you too, John. Like a lot. Enough to do things that scare me. Enough to maybe tell my parents the truth when I go back to Boston this weekend for Christmas.”

“Really?”

Bobby just nodded. “Really.”

“Bobby,” John said, drawing his eyes back up. “Listen to me, okay? If you want to tell them this weekend then you should tell them. But if you don't, that's not going to change anything. I'm still going to like you and I'm still going to want you to be here.”

“You always want me to tell them.”

“I do want you to tell them,” John said seriously. “And I want you to tell them sooner rather than later. But I'm never going to demand that you do it and certainly not in any sort of time frame. It's entirely up to you.”

“I want to,” Bobby whispered. “I want to so badly. But I just...”

“I know,” John murmured. “Believe me, I know.”

Bobby let his forehead rest on John's shoulder and John pressed a kiss to his hair. They sat there for a few moments before John ran a hand down his arm. “You're gorgeous with the eyeliner on, but you're gorgeous without it too. You don't have to wear it to make anyone happy, okay? I don't care what anyone else has said, even Jubes.”

“I know,” Bobby murmured, turning to press a kiss to John's neck. “I kind of like it though.”

John smiled. “Then you should wear it more often.”

“I might just do that,” Bobby said, sitting up when he heard Piotr yell out his name. “I've got to go back to work. Eat, okay? I know you haven't.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because you never do before you come here,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “And I think you're skinny enough as it is.”

John laughed as Bobby walked away, reaching for the plate in front of him. If Bobby was going to tell his parents that weekend, then he had to prepare to be supportive. Fuck if he knew how to do that though.

**********

“Johnny,” Bobby sighed heavily, arching into John's hand as he stroked his cock lazily. “Oh, fuck, Johnny.”

“Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look like this?” John whispered against his neck. 

John only got a groan as an answer as he continued to stroke him. He knew he was being far too slow for Bobby's liking, but Bobby had looked entirely too innocent after the conversation about the phone call from John's father and all John wanted to do was wipe that innocence off of Bobby's face. John smiled at the thought that he was the only one who got to see this, the only one who had ever seen it, and he hated the thought of anyone else seeing it any time soon, which really should bother him more than it did. Bobby groaned again so John lifted his head up and captured his lips with his own, licking into Bobby's mouth. He wanted to touch every inch of Bobby's body and coax the groans that were still spilling from Bobby's lips out of him, but instead he pulled back and stared down at him, pleased to see the innocence slipping away from his face and desire stretched across it. 

“Fuck, Johnny,” Bobby got out, but John bent down and attacked Bobby's mouth again, causing Bobby to gasp.

“What?” John asked, smirking. “You want to stop?”

“Oh fuck,” Bobby breathed out, his hands grasping onto the bedsheets as John bent down and sucked on one nipple then the other. “Don't stop.”

John grinned against his skin, kissing his way back up Bobby's chest and placing a light kiss on his lips. “What do you want?”

“You,” Bobby forced himself to say.

John's hand sped up slightly as he fumbled around with the lube, and without stopping his pace, he let his other hand drift down and slowly pushed one finger inside of Bobby. Bobby arched up and threw his head back against the pillow, eyes shut. 

“Oh, fuck,” Bobby groaned. “Fuck.”

“You are the only person who can get away with saying that and still make it sound that innocent,” John murmured, moving the finger around. 

“I don't know about that.”

“I do,” John said, sitting back on his knees and sliding another finger into him. “God, you're gorgeous like this.”

Bobby shuddered and moaned incoherently when John's fingers brushed his prostate. “Johnny, please.”

“I'm not going to hurt you.”

“You won't,” Bobby got out, pushing back against his fingers. “Please.”

John moved his fingers in and out a few more times before pulling away from him completely, making Bobby whine. “I need my hands for a minute, baby.”

“Just hurry up,” Bobby demanded, and John had never reached for a condom faster. 

He rolled it on quickly and reached for the lube, spreading some into his hand before slicking up the condom. Bobby was watching him when he looked up and John felt his breath catch in his throat at the look in his eyes. “Fuck, you're so hot, baby.”

Bobby grinned as John positioned himself, sighing happily as he started to push into him. “Oh fuck, Johnny.”

John groaned when he was fully inside him, swallowing hard when Bobby's legs wrapped around his waist. “Are you okay?”

“Fucking move,” Bobby growled, and John was happy to comply. 

He pulled back slowly before thrusting back in, and while he'd been happy to tease Bobby earlier, he wanted nothing to do with teasing him down. He picked up the pace quickly, his eyes rolling back into his head as Bobby reached down to touch himself. He bent down and crushed his lips against Bobby's, groaning when he felt Bobby clench around him. He drew it out as long as he possibly could but Bobby moaned out his completion far too soon for his liking. He thrust a couple of more times before he felt his climax hit him and he collapsed down on top of Bobby, gasping for air.

John pulled back after a moment and took care of the condom, settling along Bobby's side and burying his head in his neck. Bobby let a hand trail up and down John's arm slowly, and he turned to draw him into a kiss when he realized that John's shoulders were shaking. “Johnny?”

John moved slightly and Bobby felt the wetness on his skin, and it took him a moment to realize that they were tears. Bobby shifted around and reached for him, pulling John close and pressing a kiss to his temple. “It's okay, Johnny. Whatever it is, it's okay.”

“I don't want you to go through what I go through,” John eventually got out. “I don't want you to know how much this hurts. I hate my parents so much but I still love them more than anything and I just...I don't want you to have to go through this.”

Bobby pulled him even closer. “I'm so sorry, Johnny. I can't even imagine.”

“I want your conversation with them to go so well,” John murmured. “I want them to accept you for who you are because you deserve that. My heart breaks for you at the fact that you think they won't. You shouldn't have to know this pain.”

“I know,” Bobby said softly. “I don't deserve that just like you don't deserve this. But we can't help who our families are. We can only make family of our own. I'd like to think that I'm doing that with everyone at the restaurant. I'd like to think that you've done that too. But mostly, I just like thinking about you. You're all the family I need, Johnny.”

John pulled back and looked at Bobby, and he swallowed hard at what he saw in Bobby's eyes. “I don't deserve that.”

“You have no idea what you deserve, Johnny,” Bobby said, reaching up to wipe away his tears. “No idea.”

“I'm not a good person to consider family. I'm far too unreliable for that.”

“You've never been unreliable to me. You've been there for me since the moment we met. I can't imagine anyone else I met in the club that night would have given me a night like you did. You gave me so much more than just some sex, John, and you know it.”

John leaned forward and brought their lips together before he said something he knew he would regret, sighing into it when Bobby's hand came up and held him there. The kiss was slow and languid, everything that John could experience with Bobby but had never wanted from anyone else, and by the time they broke apart to breathe, John had determined that he cared about Bobby far more than he'd originally thought.

“Are you really going to tell them this weekend?” John asked after a moment.

“I don't know,” Bobby answered. “I'm not sure yet. I want to. I really want to. But I'm not sure I want to ruin what will be the last Christmas I'll probably ever spend with them either.”

“I can understand that,” John said, kissing him again. “I'll be here no matter what.”

“I know,” Bobby said, pulling John close to him. “And you have no idea what that means to me.”

John settled his head onto Bobby's shoulder and smiled. “No, actually, I think I do.”

**********

Bobby stared at the shoebox apprehensively, drawing a frustrated groan from Peter. “It's just a pair of shoes, Bobby.”

“It's a pair of heels, Peter,” Bobby countered back, taking a deep breath before taking the top off the box and peering at its contents. “Red, shimmery heels.”

“That you picked out,” Peter pointed out, reaching forward and pulling one of the shoes from the box. “I am so glad that we are within half a size of each other because that means I can totally borrow these.”

“How about you just have them instead?” Bobby said, sighing when he saw the look on Peter's face. “I don't know about this, Peter.”

Peter pushed Bobby down on the stool and reached for his left foot, slowly undoing the laces of Bobby's sneaker. “I was apprehensive the first time I wore pumps too, but trust me, it all works out in the end.”

“You were six the first time you wore heels, Peter,” Bobby said, picking up the other shoe and examining it.

“Oh, like you never tried on your mother's heels when you were a kid,” Peter replied, glancing up at Bobby when he didn't say anything. “Oh my God, you did, didn't you?”

“She had these black ones with a bow that I was sort of fascinated with,” Bobby admitted, blushing. “I tried them on once while no one else was home.”

“See?” Peter exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. “This is not a scary thing at all!”

“Oh, yes it is,” Bobby said, frowning when Peter stuck the shoe on his foot. “I should wear my socks with them?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Nylons, preferably, but trust me, since you're not used to them, this will just rub the skin off the back of your heel if you don't wear your socks.”

Bobby swallowed hard as Peter turned his attention to his right foot. “I'm going to fall over the moment I stand up in these.”

“Did you fall over in your mother's heels?”

Bobby blushed again. “No.”

“Then you won't fall over in these,” Peter said, sliding the other shoe onto his foot and stepping back. “Oh, I'm so proud of you that I could almost cry!”

Bobby shook his head and slowly stood up, adjusting his balance quickly when he felt himself start to lean backwards. “They're...”

“Absolutely gorgeous!” Peter exclaimed, running his eyes along Bobby's body. “Oh, and they go so well with that outfit too! It picks up the red in the pinstripe of your sweater and matches perfectly.”

Bobby looked down at his feet and sighed. “This is the only time I'm ever wearing these.”

“Oh come on!” Peter exclaimed. “They look so good!”

“I feel absolutely ridiculous,” Bobby said seriously. “I told you I'd try them and I tried them, but I'm never wearing them ever again.”

Peter pouted and started to say something when Charles approached them. “Peter, if he says he doesn't want to wear them then you have to be respectful of that choice.”

“But Charles! He looks so good in them!”

“I understand that, but you know that wearing heels is not for everyone. At least he tried them on. John wouldn't even do that.”

Bobby swallowed hard. “John wouldn't?”

“He's not that type of homo and you already knew that,” Charles said. “Not that I'm saying he'd flip out about this, but yeah, not his favorite thing in the world.”

“Then I'm definitely not wearing them again,” Bobby said, sighing when Peter pouted again. “You can have them if you want them, Peter.”

Peter's eyes brightened. “I can have them?”

“Yeah,” Bobby said. “My Christmas present for you.”

Peter shrieked and Bobby was shoved back down on the stool before he could blink. “Then I will take those right now.”

Peter had the heels off of him in a flash, grabbing the box and heading towards the office hallway before anyone could say anything else. Charles laughed once he was gone, smiling as Bobby reached for his sneakers. “Thank you for at least trying them on. He would have been unbearable if you hadn't.”

“Oh trust me, I know,” Bobby said, putting one of the sneakers on and reaching for his laces. “He seems to think that I'm ready to get into drag when I specifically told him that I never will be ready for that.”

“Just ignore him,” Charles said, sitting down next to him. “He'll realize after a while that you're more like John than like him and he'll deal with it.”

“He tried to do all this with John?”

“Oh yes,” Charles said, reaching for his cigarettes. “John worked here before he went to work for Erik and they were on the same shift all of the time. Him and Kurt actually, before Kurt moved behind the bar. It was rather amusing at times.”

“He's never told me that he used to work here.”

“Trust me, Bobby, there's probably a lot that John's never told you.” Charles lit his cigarette and took a long drag. “To be perfectly honest, we're all still amazed that you've managed to wrangle him into a relationship. That is so not who John Allerdyce is.”

“I keep hearing that,” Bobby said, finishing up with his shoes and turning to Charles. “He's never really tried to push me away, though I was fully prepared for that to happen after my first conversation with Jubes.”

“It's not that I'm not happy for the two of you because I am,” Charles said after a moment. “You're good for him and Erik and I have been worried about John for years. But I'm worried about you too now. I don't want him to break your heart.”

“He won't. This is just a fling.”

“Bobby,” Charles said, looking over at him. “It's obvious, okay?”

“What's obvious?”

“The fact that you're falling in love with him.”

“I'm not.”

“Denying it is futile, my friend. Just admit it.”

“Really?”

“God, you remind me more of Erik every time I talk to you,” Charles muttered. “Yes, really.”

“Erik?”

“The amount of time I waited to get him to realize he was falling in love with me was almost ridiculous,” Charles laughed. “I waited for years.”

“But it worked out in the end.”

“Yes, it did. I am really worried that you will not have the same happy ending.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “Do you really think I haven't thought about that? I don't have a fucking clue why he spends time with me at all, let alone about him falling in love with me.”

“He's different with you. He really is. But I don't know how long it'll last,” Charles said, looking behind them when the door opened. “Get back to work.”

“Thanks, Charles,” Bobby said, standing up and heading towards the table the person sat down at. 

He couldn't get Charles's words off his mind though. He didn't want to just be setting himself up to get his heart broken. Yet he knew that's exactly what was happening, because as much as he tried to deny it, he was falling in love with John. He just hoped that John was feeling the same way.


	9. Chapter 9

Christmas Day with the family at the restaurant was a tradition that John couldn't quite get out of, no matter how much he'd rather spend the entire day in bed. So he forced himself to get up and shower, bundled himself up for the frigid cold outside, and headed towards the train station. He thought about Christmases with his parents in the past without trying to, tried to get himself to focus on something else but he never succeeded. Christmas just made him miss them more and all that ended up doing was making him angry and bitter.

The restaurant was pretty full when John got there, but before he could look around too much to see who was around, his eyes fell onto a booth where he could see the back of a blond head. And he was pretty sure he knew who that blond head belonged to. When Theresa walked over and said something to the blond, the blond turned and John got a good look at their profile, and he was walking over there before he even realized it. Theresa looked up as he approached, said one last thing to the blond, and walked away before John dropped down into the bench next to him and pulled him into his arms. “What happened?”

Bobby settled himself into John's embrace, shivering slightly from the coldness of his jacket. “I came home.”

“I've never heard you call New York home before. You always call Boston home.”

“Yeah, well, it's not anymore, that's for sure.”

“I thought you'd decided you weren't going to tell them.”

“I had decided that,” Bobby said, sighing heavily. “My mother overheard the last time we talked on the phone.”

John nearly fell out of the booth. “The last time we talked on the phone we had phone sex.”

“Exactly,” Bobby said, feeling John's arms tighten around him. “She freaked.”

John bent down and drew Bobby into a kiss. “Are you okay?”

“As okay as I'm going to be,” Bobby replied, kissing him again. “I knew that when they found out that things were going to be bad and I was right. At least I was prepared for it and didn't have this fairy tale of everything being okay in my head.”

John let his head rest against Bobby's while he silently cursed Bobby's parents. “I'm sorry I wasn't there when it happened.”

“You being there probably would have made it worse,” Bobby said softly. “They've already announced that they never want to meet my whore, so...”

“I meant for you, not to meet them,” John said, pressing a kiss to Bobby's forehead. “You shouldn't have had to go through that alone.”

Bobby sighed as John pulled him even closer. “It doesn't matter now. It's done with. I don't have to lie to them anymore.”

“I feel like everyone knowing is my fault. Marie found out when she walked in on us having phone sex and now your mother finding out this way. I guess maybe we should stop having phone sex.”

Bobby pulled back and stared at John for a moment. “Nothing is your fault. Absolutely nothing. They were always going to find out because I was always going to tell them. Did it happen the way I wanted it to in either case? No. But don't you dare think that this is your fault. This is their fault for being motherfucking assholes. And we are not going to stop having phone sex. Phone sex is all that gets me through the nights when I can't be with you.”

John nodded after a moment. “You look exhausted.”

“I didn't sleep very well without you there,” Bobby admitted. 

John should have been far more concerned about that than he was. “Well, do you want to go home? Is Marie even there?”

“Marie is spending the day at the apartment with Remy.”

“Who is Remy?”

“Remy is her boyfriend,” Bobby said, his voice bitter. “I didn't find out about him until earlier today when I went home and he was there. She made me promise to never keep something from her again and then she was doing the same fucking thing.”

“I can understand how that made you angry, but why didn't you just lock yourself in your room and go to sleep?”

“Because I wanted to see the family,” Bobby murmured. “My real family.”

John pulled him close again. “I'm so sorry. I know how you're feeling and I'm so, so sorry.”

“Don't be,” Bobby whispered. “Just help me through it.”

“I'll do absolutely anything I can to be there for you.”

“Good,” Bobby said, smiling when a cheeseburger and fries was set on the table. “Thanks, Theresa.”

“Don't thank her, thank me,” Charles said, sitting down on the opposite bench, Erik sliding in next to him. “I'm glad to see you finally showed up, John. I was starting to think that you wouldn't.”

“I got a bit of a late start today,” John admitted. “Was a little too hungover to move early enough to be here by noon. Besides, it's Christmas Day. No one gives a fuck what I do anyway.”

“We do,” Erik said firmly. “And you know that.”

“I really appreciate that Erik, but sometimes it's just better to spend the day alone,” John said, glancing over at Bobby when he sat up and reached for his cheeseburger. “But maybe everyone is right. Maybe I don't have to be alone.”

“You're not alone,” Charles said. “Neither of you are.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” John said, wrapping an arm around Bobby's waist. 

“Me too,” Bobby added. “The place looks great, Charles.”

“Thank Wanda for that,” Charles said. “She's the one who decided upon the theme and then took it upon herself to perfect the vision.”

“It looks like the North Pole exploded in here,” Erik muttered. “It's too much.”

“Blame your daughter for that then,” Charles said, smiling at him. “But I know that everyone else prefers it this way, whether you do or not.”

“Hey, John, darling, you want anything to eat?”

John looked up to see Peter standing there, Santa hat on his head and Peter's rather interesting interpretation of what John assumed was a Santa suit clinging to his lanky frame. “What are you wearing?”

“Please don't answer that,” Erik said quickly. “You've offended enough people today.”

“And now you've offended me!” Peter exclaimed. “At least I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit.”

“There's getting into the Christmas spirit, and then there's you and Wanda.”

Peter just rolled his eyes. “Ignore him, he's just mad that Lorna didn't come home.”

John looked over at Erik in surprise. “Lorna didn't come home?”

“No, she didn't,” Erik said, climbing out of the booth and walking away. 

“Excuse me,” Charles sighed and followed him a moment later, leaving Peter to sit down across from them. 

“So Bobby, heard the big talk with the lousy motherfuckers didn't go very well.”

John reached out and smacked Peter on the side of the head. “That is not an appropriate way to bring that up with him.”

Peter reached up and rubbed the side of his head, glaring at John. “What would you like me to say? They're fucking dicks! They deserved to be talked about like that!”

“It's okay, John,” Bobby said, and John thought his voice was surprisingly calm given the situation. “No, Peter, it didn't.”

“Well, that sucks,” Peter said, sighing when he saw Kurt waving at him. “Excuse me, Kurt apparently needs me for something.”

“He probably just wants to take you into the club and jump you,” John said, laughing.

“I would not be surprised at that,” Peter said, standing up. “He's already drunk.”

“It's not even one o'clock!”

“When does that ever matter?” Peter said, shaking his head. “Look, John, if you want something to eat, just tell Warren, okay? He's the one in charge of cooking everything today.”

“Got it,” John said, turning back to Bobby when Peter walked away. “You are eerily chill about this whole situation.”

“I wasn't when it happened, trust me,” Bobby said, popping a fry into his mouth. “But I got all the crying I care to do out in the hotel that night because of course they kicked me out, and then I decided to come home because you would be much better company on Christmas than the inside of that horrible hotel room.”

John bent over and pressed a kiss to Bobby's temple. “Well, when you're done eating, we can go back to my place if you want.”

“And do what? There's nothing to do on Christmas Day.”

John just rolled his eyes. “You were gone for four days. You honestly think there will be nothing for us to do?”

Bobby laughed. “Really?”

“Jubes hung some mistletoe above my bed before she left, remember.”

“Then I guess we're going to your place,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “Can't let her think the mistletoe didn't get put to good use.”

John studied him. “You're sure you're okay?”

Bobby nodded. “I'm fine. Let's just enjoy today, okay?”

John stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

**********

By the time that John was unlocking the door to his apartment, Bobby was so weary he thought he might collapse. He had spent the train ride telling John about everything he'd gone through to get back to New York in time for Christmas and the sleep that he'd sacrificed because of it, and he knew that John was upset that he hadn't taken care of himself. He leaned up against him as John struggled with the lock, putting his head on John's shoulder and letting his eyes close. “You should move.”

“Can't afford it,” John said, finally getting the door open. “Jubes and I are lucky we can afford this with the way we spend money.”

John pulled Bobby into the apartment and shut the door, sighing with relief when the lock went into place easily. He took his jacket off and tossed it to the side, turning back to Bobby. Bobby was just standing there so John reached for his jacket, sliding it down his arms and tossing it towards where his had landed. “You look terrible.”

“I feel awful,” Bobby admitted. “My grandmother would say my emotions are screaming at me, trying to get me to let them out. But I don't want to let them out. I don't. I definitely didn't want to do it at the restaurant.”

John pulled Bobby close and kissed him softly. “You're not at the restaurant anymore, baby. And maybe you need to let them out. You're a mess, Bobby, and I completely understand that.”

“I just need to know that someone cares about me,” Bobby murmured. “I need to know that you care about me.”

“Then that's what you'll get,” John said, walking them through the room and towards the bed. “Because I do.”

“Really?” Bobby asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Because I actually have no idea how you feel about me.”

John knelt down in front of him and reached for Bobby's leg, pulling it up so he could get his shoe off. “I don't know if I can put it into words.”

“Try?”

John sighed as he got the shoe off, tossing it across the room. “I've never felt like this before. Ever. No one has ever done this to me.”

“I don't like thinking that I've done something horrible to you,” Bobby said as John worked his other shoe off.

“I didn't say it was horrible,” John pointed out. “But it's definitely unfamiliar.”

“Theresa told me that everyone is waiting for you to get tired of me.”

“Of course she did,” John mumbled, tossing the other shoe in the direction of the first before standing up and working his own off. “I honestly don't know why they think that.”

“I think it too.”

John sat down on the bed next to him and drew Bobby into a deep kiss. “I'm not going to get tired of you. You're amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” John said. “I would not be spending all this time with you if you weren't.”

“I've had too many guys at the restaurant tell me to watch out because you're a slut and you don't know how to be monogamous.”

“Don't listen to them,” John murmured, pulling Bobby into another deep kiss.

“I want you to be honest with me,” Bobby said when they parted. “I want to know if there have been others.”

John let out a small laugh. “There should have been. There really should have been. But you got to me too much for that to happen.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “So you haven't been with anyone else since that first night?”

John shook his head. “Not full on sex, no. I got blown at the club a few times, but that was before we agreed that we were in a relationship. I haven't gone home with anyone since I went home with you. I would never hurt you like that.”

Bobby leaned over and put his head on John's shoulder, and John's arms came up and wrapped around his waist. “Really?”

“Is it that surprising?”

“Kind of,” Bobby said softly. “I've heard a lot of stories about you.”

“That's because no one knows me like this. No one knows what to expect because I've never done this before. But I used to have dreams of meeting a guy I could be in a relationship with. I've just never cared about anyone the way I instantly cared about you.”

“You did?”

“Of course I did,” John said, pressing a kiss to Bobby's head. “I didn't set out in life to just fuck everyone that comes into the club for the rest of eternity.”

“That's not what I meant. I meant you instantly cared for me?”

“Yes, I did,” John said quietly. “And it scared the fuck out of me, to be honest. I didn't want to believe it, didn't want to feel that way, didn't want any of this. But I'm so glad it happened. You have no idea how glad I am that it happened.”

“Why?”

“Because you're amazing, baby. You're incredibly special. And I hate that other people in your life don't want to see that.”

“You're pretty amazing and special too.”

“I don't think anyone has ever thought that about me before.”

“Then they were blind.”

Bobby lifted his head and angled their lips together, and John tightened their embrace. They stayed locked in the kiss for a few moments before Bobby's hands drifted to the bottom of John's t-shirt, playing with the hem. John broke the kiss and nipped at Bobby's bottom lip before searching his eyes. “We don't have to do this.”

“I want to,” Bobby breathed out. “I want to feel something other than pain.”

John nodded and reached for Bobby's shirt, unbuttoning it slowly as he sucked on Bobby's neck. Bobby moaned as the cool air hit his skin, helping John get the shirt off of his arms and barely paying attention when he heard it hit something in the kitchen after John tossed it away. He pulled John's t-shirt up and over his head, running his hands over John's skin. “Why is it so cold in here?”

John pulled away at that, frowning when he realized that Bobby was right. “I don't know. Hang on a second.”

Bobby nodded as John got up and walked over to the thermostat, glancing around the room until he noticed that the clock on the bedside table was off. “Is the power on? 'Cause your clock is off.”

John flipped the light switch near the thermostat and shook his head when nothing happened. “Nope, it's not. That explains the cold then. The heater isn't on.”

“Come here,” Bobby said, and John returned to the bed. “We'll have to keep each other warm.”

“We really don't have to do this,” John said again. “We can just get under the blankets and go to sleep.”

“Johnny,” Bobby said, pulling him towards him. “I want this. I need this. We can sleep after it.”

John nodded and laid Bobby back onto the bed, shifting around until he was straddling his hips before bending down and kissing him hard. “I have never had this sort of reaction to being called Johnny before.”

Bobby smiled and rolled his hips up, drawing a groan out of John when their groins brushed against each other. “That makes me happy.”

“Seriously, anyone else calls me that and I get annoyed. You call me that and I get aroused,” John said, bending down to kiss him again. 

“Yeah, well,” Bobby said as John started trailing kisses along his jaw. “I never thought I'd enjoy being called baby so much. I love it when you do that.”

“I'd never called someone baby before you,” John murmured against the skin of Bobby's neck. “I'm glad you like it.”

John gasped as one of Bobby's hands slid down the back of his pants and Bobby just grinned. “I have an idea, Johnny.”

“And what idea is that?” John said, nipping at the base of Bobby's throat.

“I was thinking that maybe you could play teacher,” Bobby said softly, and John's head shot up.

“Teacher?”

Bobby shrugged. “They know now. It's time to start acting like a proper queer.”

“Baby, you already do,” John said, bending down to kiss him. “You don't need to blow me to do that.”

“I understand that, but I was laying in that hotel room thinking about how much you give me and how I give you practically nothing in return and I just...I want to do this. I will probably be atrocious at it at first, but you said you would teach me.”

“Bobby, baby,” John said, shifting around so he was laying next to him. “You give me plenty in return. I wouldn't still be doing this if you didn't.”

“Be that as it may, I think it's time that I learn how to give you a blow job,” Bobby said seriously. “And I didn't get you a Christmas present so I thought that perhaps that might be enough to make up for that.”

“We said we weren't getting each other Christmas presents,” John pointed out.

“Are you actually trying to come up with reasons for me not to blow you? Because that's what it sounds like.”

“No, no, baby, I'm not,” John said, reaching out to run a finger down the side of Bobby's face. “I just don't want you to do something you're not ready for.”

“I'm not,” Bobby said, pushing John onto his back and rolling on top of him. “I want to do this.”

John swallowed hard as Bobby started trailing kisses down the side of his neck. “Are you absolutely sure?”

Bobby pulled back and gave John a look. “I'm absolutely sure.”

John let a smile cross his face. “Okay then.”

Bobby grinned and brought his lips down to John's collarbone, licking and sucking along the soft skin there. He slowly made his way down John's torso until his face was level with the top of John's jeans. He glanced up to see John watching him as he reached out and palmed him through the thick fabric, grinning when he heard John moan. He bent down and pressed kisses to the skin right below John's navel before trailing his tongue down to the top of his jeans. He reached out with his free hand and undid the button, slowly lowering the zipper a moment later. He heard John's breathing start to speed up as his hand stroked him, and he delighted from hearing the moan that escaped John's lips when he began to mouth him through the thin cotton that still covered him.

He pulled back after a moment and glanced up at John again, smiling. “How am I doing?”

“Amazing,” John murmured. “Keep going.”

Bobby stood up off the bed and reached for John's jeans, pulling them down and off. He reached for his boxers next, cupping him through them one more time before pulling them off as well. He climbed back onto the bed and settled himself between John's legs, smiling as John widened them automatically. John's cock was almost fully hard, and Bobby wrapped his hand around the shaft, running it up and down it lightly. John groaned above him as Bobby continued to stroke him, and after a moment, Bobby leaned down and licked at the head. When that drew a loud moan, he did it again, letting his tongue swirl around it like he remembered John doing to him. He did that several times before taking a deep breath and closing his mouth around it, smiling when he heard John gasp.

“Oh, fuck, baby,” John said, his eyes glued to Bobby. “You're so doing so well.”

Bobby sucked gently while moving his hand once more, lapping at the head with his tongue. He heard John let out a litany of curse words when he let his tongue linger on the slit before letting his hand rest at the base as he took more of the cock into his mouth. He pulled back after a moment to suck in a couple of deep breaths, certain that he was getting the breathing techniques all wrong, and he felt a hand caress the side of his head. 

“Breathe through your nose,” John murmured from above him. “But remember to breathe.”

Bobby nodded before lowering his mouth again, letting his tongue slide down the underside of John's cock before letting his lips close around it once more. He started to bob his head slowly, taking more and more of him into his mouth as time progressed. He stopped for a moment when he felt John hit the back of his throat, but John's hand was still caressing the side of his head encouragingly so he continued on. It took a while before he was comfortable with John being so deep, but then he was taking him that deep on every stroke, John moaning above him. He tried to take John even deeper but nearly gagged, so he pulled back, glancing up at John. 

“You've got to relax your throat muscles,” John somehow got out. “But if you can't do that yet it's fine.”

Bobby took that in and continued, letting his hand drift down to play with John's balls, rolling them gently between his fingers. He sucked a little harder with every downward stroke as John's hand slid around to the back of his head, gently guiding him up and down. He kept up his pace for a few moments before relaxing as best as he could and taking John a little deeper. He fought off his gag reflex that time and John groaned when he realized what had happened. 

John threw his head back as Bobby dragged his tongue along the vein on the underside, silently wondering how the fuck this could possibly be Bobby's first blow job. “Oh fuck, baby,” he breathed out. 

John's hips came up involuntarily and Bobby's hands quickly moved to them, pushing them back to the bed and pressing down to pin them there as he continued to move up and down. Bobby realized after a few moments that he wasn't taking John deep enough to do the swallowing trick that John did on him, but when he hummed while pondering what to do next, he heard John swear loudly. He hummed again and the hand tightened on the back of his head as a really loud moan escaped John's lips, so he decided he must be doing something right. He pulled back and let his tongue swirl around the head again, looking up at John.

“How am I doing?” Bobby asked, his voice rougher than he'd been expecting it to be.

“You are so fucking good,” John mumbled. “But I'm about to kill you for stopping.”

Bobby laughed and took him down again, picking up his pace from before and letting his teeth drag gently on every upstroke. It wasn't long until he felt John pulling at his hair, and while he knew that John was giving him the chance to pull back before he came, he didn't want to do that. He increased his pace even more until he heard John let out the sexiest moan he'd ever heard and he felt the salty liquid hit the back of his throat. He sucked him until he felt John's hand go limp, pulling back and sitting up on his knees. John watched as Bobby swallowed a few times before licking his lips, and he found himself wondering how the fuck he'd ever ended up with someone so unbelievably amazing.

Bobby crawled back up his body and settled at John's side, bringing their lips together. John deepened the kiss immediately, letting his tongue explore the inside of Bobby's mouth gently. When the kiss broke, Bobby settled his head on John's shoulder and took a deep breath. “So, how did I do?”

“Are you absolutely sure that was your first ever blow job?” John asked, bringing a smile to Bobby's face. “Because if that was your first then I think you're going to kill me once you get better at it.”

“That was absolutely my first blow job,” Bobby said, letting his fingers trace patterns into John's skin. “I'm glad to hear it wasn't awful.”

“You have an incredibly filthy mouth, just as I suspected you would,” John murmured, letting his head rest against Bobby's. “And any time you want to practice, I am more than willing to be your test subject.”

“Is that so?” Bobby laughed. “Well, we'll have to have lessons often then, because I enjoyed that a lot.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Bobby said, gasping when John suddenly cupped him through his jeans. “Fuck, Johnny.”

“I think it's time for me to reciprocate, don't you?” John asked, rolling Bobby onto his back and climbing on top of him. 

“It's not going to take much,” Bobby admitted as John's hands went to his fly. “And I mean really not take much.”

John bent down and kissed him as he slipped a hand into Bobby's boxers, and Bobby shuddered as John's hand circled his cock. John stroked him lazily and Bobby threw his head back. “Oh fuck, Johnny. At least take my damn pants off.”

John laughed and worked Bobby's pants and underwear off of him, returning to his slow strokes on his cock. Moans were constantly spilling from Bobby's lips by the time that John trailed kisses down Bobby's chest until he was swirling his tongue around the head of his cock. 

“Ngh,” Bobby got out. “This is really not going to last long.”

“That's okay,” John murmured. “We've got plenty of time for more.”

Bobby gasped as John took him deep into his mouth, his hips bucking up at the feeling of that wet warmth on his skin. John's hands went to his hips and pinned him down as he set a tantalizingly fast pace, Bobby's eyes rolling back into his head as the tension in his body built. It wasn't long until he was begging for release and while John would have liked to prolong it, he knew his earlier statement was correct and that they had a lot of time for more. So he took Bobby down to the base and swallowed, drawing Bobby's orgasm out of him.

Bobby's eyes were closed and his chest heaving when John pulled back, and a pleasant feeling settled into his chest as he watched him. Bobby was gorgeous like that, utterly fucking gorgeous, and the thought that he was the only one who got to see him that way flashed through his mind like it always seemed to when they were in bed together lately. John still didn't know much about relationships, and he still thought he was probably going to fuck this up in some way or another, but he resolved at that moment to make sure he was the only one who got to see Bobby like this. Maybe not forever, he wasn't even close to thinking about forever, but for a while. This could be his life for a while. 

Bobby's eyes opened and John crawled back up his body, settling along his side and bringing their lips together. The kiss was slow and lazy and when they broke apart John saw something shining in Bobby's eyes that he was pretty sure was reflected in his own. 

“Merry Christmas, Johnny,” Bobby murmured.

“Merry Christmas, baby. You want to sleep now?”

Bobby just nodded and closed his eyes as John reached for the blankets and covered them up. He pulled Bobby into his arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead before letting his eyes close. Yeah, he could enjoy this life for a while.


	10. Chapter 10

Bobby paused as he walked into the restaurant, blinking to make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing. “Um, Peter? What are you wearing?”

“Isn't it fabulous?” Peter exclaimed, spinning around in a circle. “I was babysitting the little girl across the hall for a couple of hours last night while her mother was down at the police station bitching to them about the kid's idiot father, and I didn't know what the fuck to do with a kid so I brought her over to my place and she picked out my outfit for today.”

Bobby's eyes stared at the tiara perched on top of Peter's silver hair and trailed down, taking in the frilly white blouse and silver sequined belt. And then he stopped and blinked again. There were the typical black leggings and fishnet stockings near his ankles, but around his waist was... “You're wearing a tutu.”

“Well, it's not a real one,” Peter said, reaching down to run his hands over the tulle. “But look, it's silver so it matches my hair, and Lucy, that's the little girl, she was all about me wearing the tutu.”

“And you listened to her?”

“Well of course,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. “She was right.”

“But the belt and the tutu?”

“Yes!” Peter exclaimed. “The belt matches my shoes and everything else perfectly!”

Bobby looked down and saw the silver sequined pumps, nodding. “Ah, I see. So, um, what do you call this look?”

“Ballerina Princess, of course,” Peter said, spinning around again. “Kurt tried to say that I can't call myself a ballerina if I'm not wearing those pink slippers they wear, but Lucy was very quick to point out that I couldn't wear pink slippers with this outfit because it would look stupid.”

Bobby bit back a laugh. “And how old is Lucy?”

“She's eight, but she's a very mature eight. She can rattle off all the designers who have stores on Madison.” Peter beamed like a proud father. “She's fantabulous.”

“Fantabulous?”

“Fantastic and fabulous,” Peter said seriously. “Fantabulous.”

“I'll have to remember that word.” Bobby shook his head and walked behind the counter, taking off his jacket and stuffing it underneath.

“You know, Bobby, I still think you'd look fantastic in some fishnets and a pair of heels.”

“Thank you, Peter, but no.”

Peter pouted. “You're no fun.”

Bobby just smiled at him. “Maybe, maybe not. But I am not wearing that.”

“Peter, leave him alone,” Wanda said, walking out of the back. “And dear God, don't let Charles see you like that.”

Peter just rolled his eyes. “Charles can fucking deal with it. He's just mad that he can't pull it off.”

Wanda laughed as Peter flounced into the back. “Trust me, he is not mad about that.”

“Wanda, can you help with my eyeliner?” Bobby asked. “I kind of really suck at doing it and Jubes wasn't awake yet when I called her to see if she'd help me.”

Wanda turned around and shrieked, grabbing the pencil out of Bobby's hands. “That motherfucking bitch has been putting this on you with a pencil? Oh, honey, I'm going to teach you the proper way to do it.”

“Proper way to do it?” Bobby asked, yelping when Wanda grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her office. 

Wanda laughed. “Angle brush, black eye shadow, and transforming potion. I'll take you out at lunch and show you where to buy it, but right now, let's get it on you.”

**********

“Stop harassing me about the British tourist! I don't care how many times he has come into the restaurant! He is motherfucking married with kids and I'm not about to fucking ruin that.” Wanda looked up as Charles walked into the restaurant, breathing a sigh of relief at the interruption. “Thank God. Warren, take Peter and go back to the storeroom and get whatever it is we need more of out here.”

Warren rolled his eyes as Charles sat down at the counter. “That's Rasputin's job.”

“I know, but Piotr is not here at the moment so I'm asking you to do it,” Wanda said, walking around the counter and sitting down next to Charles.

“Do as Wanda asked please,” Charles said, smiling as Peter set a cup of coffee in front of him. 

“Fine,” Peter said, grabbing Warren by the arm and stalking off towards the storeroom.

Charles watched them go and shook his head, laughing slightly before taking a sip of his coffee. “Do I want to know the story behind that look?”

“Probably not,” Wanda said, grabbing Charles's cigarettes and taking one from the pack. “I'm stealing this.”

Charles sighed and flicked his lighter on, holding it out for Wanda to use. “Don't worry, I'll just send Peter over there to buy more later. I think they'll get a good laugh out of that outfit.”

Wanda laughed and took a drag off the cigarette, tilting her head back and blowing the smoke upwards. “So, you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Charles asked, digging another cigarette out of the pack and lighting it. 

“You and Dad. You want to talk about it?”

“How the fuck do you know about that?”

“I heard about it from Lorna,” Wanda said, tapping her cigarette against the ashtray's edge. “Don't worry, Peter doesn't know.”

“He's just going through one of those phases where he questions everything. It's nothing.” Charles sighed and took another drag off his cigarette, setting it down in the ashtray and reaching for his coffee. “But he's been gone for three days and I feel like I'm losing my mind.”

“You're not losing your mind,” Wanda said, wrapping an arm around Charles's shoulders. “You are worried, and from what Lorna was telling me yesterday, you have every right to be.”

Charles took a sip of his coffee and sighed. “It'll be fine. This happens every once and awhile. It's my fault anyway.”

“Oh, Charles.” Wanda set her cigarette in the ashtray and wrapped her other arm around him, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Stop blaming yourself for this.”

“How can I not?” Charles asked softly. “I'm so self-absorbed that I never even take a second to realize what's happening with him until it's too late. And he always knows what's happening with me. Always. He knows when I'm going on a drinking binge and he knows when I'm ready to kill everyone who works here and he just knows every little thing there is to know. And I don't even notice the important things about him.”

Wanda sighed and rested her head on Charles's shoulder. “Alright, I'm not going to argue with you about this. But, you know now, and when he comes home, he's going to need you. If you're sitting around here blaming yourself for all of this, then you're not going to be able to give him the help that he'll need, and you're just going to end up making things worse.”

Charles glanced at Wanda. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

“It's a talent,” Wanda said softly. “You're not the only one who cares about him you know.”

“I know,” Charles sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Wanda's head as Warren walked back into the room, carrying a big box. “Do I even dare ask what is in that box?”

“All kinds of things. Pans and spatulas and stuff like that. It was just easier to carry it all in a box than individually,” Warren said, setting the box down on the counter. “That doesn't mean that I'm sure we actually need all this stuff out here, but I didn't know we had some of it and now that I know we have it, I want it. And hey, you two are the ones who let me loose in Rasputin's storeroom, so when he shows up and starts yelling, I'll just send him in your direction.”

Wanda bit back a laugh. “That's fine, Warren. Where's Peter?”

“Delivery showed up so Peter said he'd deal with it,” Warren said, turning around and putting pans on the grill.

Charles sighed and stood up. “I'll go deal with that.”

“I think Peter can handle it,” Wanda said. “He's been doing that lately.”

“His way of handling it is to blow the delivery guy,” Charles said, shaking his head. “That's why he's been doing it lately.”

Warren burst out laughing as Charles walked out of the room and Bobby walked into it a moment later, blinking his eyes. “Um, Peter is...um...”

“Charles is taking care of it,” Wanda said, shaking her head. “I'm sorry you had to see that, Bobby.”

“It's alright,” Bobby said, walking over and sitting down next to Wanda. “I've just actually never seen that before.”

Wanda looked over at him. “Not even in the club? Because I know it happens on that wall by the bathrooms a lot.”

“Only ever been by that wall once,” Bobby said, unable to keep the grin off his face. “And that was with John, so I wasn't really all that focused on what was happening around me.”

Warren turned around and peered at him with curiosity. “You've fucked John up against the wall in the club?”

“No, no,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “But I did convince him to take me home with him along that wall the night we met.”

“Alright, that's it,” Warren said, setting the box on the ground and leaning against the counter. “You're spilling all the details about you and John now because I had no idea that had happened.”

Bobby just rolled his eyes. “I am allowed to have a private life, Warren.”

“Oh come on! You managed to tame John Allerdyce! I wanna know how that happened!”

“It happened because he's amazing,” came John's voice and everyone turned to see him walking into the restaurant. “And I have not been tamed.”

Bobby couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when John walked up to him and gave him a kiss. “Hi.”

“Hi,” John said, kissing him again. “How's your day going?”

“Okay,” Bobby said, glancing at the clock. “Why aren't you at work?”

John sighed heavily. “Erik.”

“What's he done?” Wanda said, immediately alarmed. 

“I tried telling him that I couldn't organize the chapter the way he wanted me to because we were at least three drawings short of that, and in typical Erik fashion, he fired me. So here I am.”

Wanda stood up and put a hand on John's shoulder. “I'll take care of this.”

“It's okay, Wanda.”

“No, it really isn't,” Wanda said, squeezing his shoulder before walking out of the room. 

John sat down on the stool she'd vacated and leaned up against Bobby. “Mind if I hang out here? I promised Jubes I'd stay away from the apartment so she could catch up on some sleep before she had to go to work tonight.”

“Of course, Johnny,” Bobby murmured, kissing him softly. “I know Charles won't have a problem with that.”

Warren watched them with a smile on his face. “Yeah, you haven't been tamed, Allerdyce. Not at all.”

John flipped him off and pulled Bobby into another kiss. “Fuck off, Worthington.”

Warren just laughed. “You want some food, John? I'll make you something.”

“Not sure I can afford to pay for it now, so no thanks.”

Bobby just rolled his eyes. “Make him the special, Warren. I'll pay for it.”

“You don't have to do that.”

“And you most likely haven't eaten anything, so I'm doing it.”

Charles came walking out of the back a moment later, putting on his jacket. “Warren, John gets whatever he wants on the house until I say otherwise. I'm going to have a conversation with Erik.”

“Charles, you really don't have to do that. I can find another job.”

“This isn't about you being able to find another job,” Charles said seriously. “This is about him firing a member of the family because of Lorna. Excuse me.”

“Lorna?” John asked, turning to Warren.

“I have no idea,” Warren said, turning towards the grill. “You want the special or something else?”

“Special's fine. I'll go sit down somewhere.”

John got up and walked towards a booth, Bobby following him. “Who is Lorna?”

“Lorna is Erik's daughter from a previous relationship, just like how Peter and Wanda are his kids from a different previous relationship,” John said as they sat down. “She and Erik have a difficult relationship. Charles is the only thing that keeps the peace between them most of the time.”

“She's the one that Erik was upset about on Christmas right?”

“That's her,” John said, running his hands over his face. “Erik's threatened to fire me before, but he's never actually done it.”

“Charles will take care of it,” Bobby said softly. “It'll be okay.”

“I knew he was super stressed out about something lately but I didn't know what. If there are issues with Lorna, that makes it make a lot more sense. He'll deny it till the end of time, but Peter and Wanda are well aware of the fact that Lorna's his favorite.”

“Why haven't I ever met her?”

“She's at college in Chicago,” John said softly. “That was another big argument because Erik wanted her to go to school here. I should have known something like this was coming when she didn't come home for Christmas.”

“Bobby!” came Warren's voice, and Bobby stood.

“I'll go get your food. I'll be right back.”

“Just bring it and then get back to work, Bobby. It's fine.”

“It is not! And there's nothing else to do at the moment anyway!”

**********

Jubilee stared across the booth in shock. “Erik fired you?”

John just nodded. “Yep.”

“Please tell me you told Charles that.”

John nodded again. “He left not long after I got here to go talk to Erik and he hasn't been back yet. That was hours ago. I'm pretty sure I won't be going back to work tomorrow.”

Jubilee sighed heavily and reached for her water. “Fuck.”

“It's okay, Jubes. I'll find another job.”

“That's not the problem though, is it?”

“Charles made it sound like it had something to do with Lorna,” John said after a moment. “And I really would rather not think about the fact that this might be like last time.”

“What happened last time?” Bobby asked, walking up to the table and sitting down next to John. “I've only got a few minutes so the short version, please.”

“Lorna and Erik do not get along very well,” Jubilee said, unwrapping her silverware. “And part of that is resentment from Lorna on the fact that Erik left her mother and hooked up with Charles, despite the fact that she adores Charles. Charles is really the only thing that keeps the peace sometimes.”

“John said all of that this afternoon,” Bobby pointed out. “What happened last time?”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “Have you met Scott and Jean yet?”

“Peter talks about them all the time, but no, I haven't.”

“It must be a really busy time for them then because they usually come in more often. I'll drag them in here soon. Anyway, Scott has a little brother named Alex, and Alex and Lorna get along really, really well.”

“How well?”

“Well enough that Charles caught them fucking against that wall in the club when they were seventeen,” John added. 

“Fuck,” Bobby muttered.

“When Alex announced that he was going to Chicago for college, suddenly Lorna wanted to go there too. Erik was completely against this but Lorna's mother thought it was a great idea, and so he very, very, very reluctantly relented,” Jubilee said, shaking her head. “Then he found out that instead of living on campus like she was supposed to be doing, Lorna was living in an apartment with Alex. I think Erik almost got on a plane to Chicago so he could kill him. Erik never has liked Alex all that much.”

“Why doesn't Erik like Alex?”

“Alex is the bad boy corrupting his baby girl,” John said. “Alex had a bit of a reputation before he hooked up with Lorna.”

“You had a bit of a reputation before you hooked up with me,” Bobby pointed out.

“This is very different,” John said.

“Alex's reputation has more to do with him using a fake ID to get into the club. And he definitely wasn't there trying to pick up a guy,” Jubilee added.

Bobby gave her a confused look. “So what was he in there for?”

John pulled Bobby to him and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Your innocence is such a turn on, I have to say. I'm going to look forward to destroying part of it tonight.”

“Can you stop hitting on him long enough for me to get this out?” Jubilee muttered. “I suppose you wouldn't realize this, Bobby. You hardly spend any time in the club.”

“Know what?”

“There's a lot of drugs floating around in the club on any given night,” John said. “The security team that Charles employs keeps out most of the dealers, but that shit still gets in there and Alex knew that's how he could get it easily.”

“Oh fuck,” Bobby said, leaning back against the bench. 

“Alex has supposedly cleaned his act up, but Scott tells us all the time that his parents are just in denial about it and Alex still gets up to all the shit he used to,” Jubilee said. “And when he started to get Lorna into it, Erik about lost his fucking mind.”

“Lorna told him that she didn't like it and wasn't going to do it again, but I don't think that Erik buys that. Charles keeps telling him that Lorna has given him very little reason to doubt that to be the truth, but Erik doesn't trust Alex and Lorna's still living with Alex,” John said. 

“I can see how Erik would be fucking furious about that,” Bobby murmured. “I would be too if that was my kid.”

“Basically,” Jubilee said. “We all totally sympathize with Erik on this, but we also listen to Charles, and Peter and Wanda too, when they tell us that there's really nothing to be worried about.”

“When Lorna didn't come home for Christmas, I should have known that something was up but I was so worried about you that I didn't think about it too much,” John said, shaking his head. 

Bobby started to say something but was interrupted by the sound of his name so he stood up instead. “I'll be back later.”

Jubilee sighed as she watched him walk away. “Bobby looks terrible.”

John shook his head. “He keeps trying to tell me that he's fine but I know he's not.”

“Have you been taking care of him?”

John just rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

“I think you've been fucking him,” Jubilee said seriously. “I'm asking if you've been taking care of him.”

“I'm not even sure what that is supposed to mean.”

“It means that the two of you need to start doing more than just fucking,” Jubilee said, smiling at Theresa when she set her food down on the table. “Thanks, darling.”

“No problem, Jubes. And John, for the record, I think she's right.”

“Of course you do, bitch,” John mumbled as Theresa walked away. “What the fuck am I supposed to be doing then?”

“Well, I'd think dinner before you fuck might be a nice place to start.”

John just rolled his eyes. “And how is that supposed to be possible? He works like every single night.”

“You do it on a night when he doesn't work,” Jubilee said simply. “Look, whether he wants to admit it or not, half the reason he was going to tell his parents is because of you.”

“I already told him that was ridiculous.”

“John, honestly,” Jubilee said, reaching for her fork. “You have no idea, do you?”

“No idea about what?”

“That boy is in love with you, Johnny.”

“No, he's not,” John said automatically. “He can't be.”

“Why not?”

“Because there's nothing to love,” was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Jubilee glared at him. “Well there's certainly not much, that's for sure.”

“Once again, you don't know your own worth. You're an amazing catch, John, and I know there are days when he can't believe he actually has you. I also know that there are even more days when he wonders when you're going to get rid of him, and I know more than anything how much that would destroy him.”

John felt like his head was spinning. There was no way Bobby could possibly be in love with him. “Jubes, you're wrong. You have to be.”

“I'm not wrong,” Jubilee said firmly. “And anyone with two eyes can see that. The question is whether or not you feel the same way.”

John sat there for a moment. “Did you really just ask me if I'm in love with him?”

“Yes, I did.”

John looked over at Bobby for a moment. “I have no idea how I'm supposed to answer that.”

“I would start with the truth,” Jubilee said, drawing his attention back to her. “You've got to at least admit that you feel something for him.”

“Of course I do,” John said defensively. “And he knows it too.”

“Does he?”

“Yes, he does. We had a discussion about it on Christmas Day.”

Jubilee raised an eyebrow at that. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I am capable of these sorts of things.”

“So what did you tell him then?”

“I told him no one has ever made me feel this way before. That no matter what anyone says I'm not going to get tired of him. That, despite how much I fought against it in the beginning, I'm glad it happened.”

Jubilee stared at him for a moment. “And you don't think that's love?”

“I don't know what it is, Jubes,” John said honestly. “I've never had this happen to me before.”

“Well, maybe you should think about it. Because I know Bobby would be a whole lot happier if he knew you felt the same way about him as he does you.”

“Jubes.”

“He just lost everything he's ever known, John. He doesn't want to lose everything he's gained either.”

“He's not going to,” John said firmly. “This place isn't going anywhere.”

“You are completely missing my point.”

“Stop lecturing me, will you?”

“I'm not lecturing you. I'm trying to help you out before you fuck up the best thing that's ever happened to you.”

“I won't,” John said, but all he could think about was how he probably was going to. If Bobby really was in love with him, and he fucked this up, then John was going to destroy him as much as his parents had, and that was the last thing in the world that John wanted to do. He never wanted to hurt Bobby. Ever.

He really should have been more concerned about that then he was.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somehow in the past twenty-four hours this went from the planned twenty-five chapters to a now planned forty chapters. i'm really hoping that's it but i kind of don't know yet.

“Wanda, I need to start looking for a new job,” John said, leaning back in the bench and drumming his fingers on the table. “It's been three days. I'm not getting my job back.”

“Give Charles some time to straighten this out,” Wanda said firmly. “You will get your job back.”

“Charles isn't even here,” John pointed out. “No one has seen him since he walked out of here to go talk to Erik.”

“I know,” Wanda said calmly. “And that's not really a surprise.”

“It's not?”

Wanda sighed heavily. “Dad's questioning things again.” 

John ran his hands over his face. “So there are issues with Lorna and he's freaking out because he's gay? Fuck, I'm definitely not getting my job back.”

“Yes, you are,” Wanda said seriously. “Give Charles time.”

John sighed as a cheeseburger and fries were set in front of him, turning to see Bobby standing there. “I can't afford this.”

“And Charles said you get everything for free until he says otherwise,” Bobby pointed out. “You don't have to pay for it, and I know you haven't eaten anything because you've just been sitting here all day. Eat.”

John shook his head. “I'm not taking charity.”

“It's not charity, John,” Wanda said, drawing his attention back to her. “It's helping out a family member in need. You would do that for us, so we're doing it for you.”

“Fine,” John murmured, reaching for the plate. “But I am not happy about this. I'd much rather be job hunting.”

“You love your job,” Bobby said, sitting down next to him. “Every time we talk about it you get so passionate about what you do.”

John paused. “I do?”

Bobby nodded. “You might think you're making fun of it but I can tell what you're really doing. You love it and you know it.”

John let out a slow breath. “Don't make me actually admit that in front of anyone I worked with.”

Wanda laughed. “Just for that, I'm making sure Dad knows.”

“Fuck off, bitch,” John muttered as he picked up his cheeseburger. “Leave me to eat in peace.”

“Fine,” Wanda said, standing up. “But you'll have your job back soon, John. Just remember that.”

John sighed and took a bite of the cheeseburger, turning to look at Bobby once he finished chewing. “Shouldn't you be working?”

“There are two tables that are mine right now,” Bobby said. “I can see them both from here. It's fine.”

John set the cheeseburger down and pulled Bobby close, bringing their lips together in a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me,” John said quietly. “I know I haven't been easy to be around these past few days. Not even Jubes wants to be around me. Yet you do.”

“I always want to be around you, Johnny,” Bobby said, and John saw that emotion shining in Bobby's eyes again.

He still wasn't convinced that Jubilee was right. Still thought that there was no way that Bobby could ever love him. But he had begun to think that maybe she was right. That didn't make the thought any easier to deal with though. The idea of Bobby being in love with him absolutely terrified him.

“Johnny, you're staring at me,” Bobby said, breaking John from his thoughts.

“Sorry, baby,” John said, turning back to his food. “Just thinking about some things.”

“What kind of things?”

John sighed heavily. Of course, he would ask that. “I was thinking about you,” he eventually said. “About how much I care about you.” It wasn't exactly the truth but it wasn't really a lie either, yet John still felt bad for saying it. “I just...it's a lot, okay? I care about you a lot.”

“I'm very glad to hear that.” Bobby looked up to see one of his tables flagging him down. “I'll be right back.”

John was alone for all of three seconds before Kurt slid into the other side of the booth. “Just go ahead and join me, why don't you?”

“Fuck off,” Kurt said with a smile on his face. “I just wanted to know what's up with you. You're never in the club anymore and Jubes is too lost in her own head at the moment to tell me anything important.”

“And what are you expecting me to tell you?”

“I want to know how it feels to be in love,” Kurt said, smirking. “I never thought I'd see John Allerdyce in love.”

John sighed heavily and ate a couple of fries. “I'm not in love.”

Kurt just shook his head. “Don't even try to tell me that you're in denial about this. I can tell, honey. I can so, so tell.”

John took a bite of his cheeseburger as he glared at him. “I am so glad that you seem to know what I'm feeling because I most certainly don't.”

“Oh fuck off, John. You know you love him. Don't even try to tell me that you don't.”

“I don't know what I feel, alright?” John said angrily. “I'm trying to figure it out but it's not going well and the last thing I need is someone waltzing in here and telling me what it is I'm supposed to be feeling.”

Kurt stared at him for a moment. “You seriously don't think you're in love with him?”

John just shook his head. “I don't know what I am.”

“But you realize that he's in love with you?”

“So Jubes keeps telling me.”

“He hasn't said it?”

“No, he hasn't,” John said, taking a bite of his cheeseburger and quickly chewing it. “And I don't want anyone pressuring him into saying it either.”

“I'm not going to make him do anything, don't you worry,” Kurt said. “I do want to let him know you feel the same way because I know right now he thinks you don't.”

“Of course he does,” John muttered. “I have no idea how he feels about me, anyway. He's never said.”

“You two are absolutely atrocious at communicating, you know that?” Kurt exclaimed. “How have you managed to do this for this long without telling each other this?”

“I know he cares about me. I know it's a lot. I just don't know more beyond that. I have gone beyond that with him. And I have absolutely no idea why I'm telling you this.”

“You're telling me this because you obviously need to tell someone,” Kurt said seriously. “Honey, you two really need to have a conversation.”

“Look, it's been almost seven months since we first hooked up, alright?” John said after a moment. “And they've been the best seven months of my life, to be perfectly honest. But I don't want to do anything to fuck that up, no matter how much I know I'm going to. So I am not doing anything that you are going to try to talk me into because I would really rather like this to be my life for a while. Now would you please leave me alone?”

“Fine,” Kurt said, sighing. “But you're being a motherfucking idiot.”

“Fuck off.”

Kurt just shook his head. “I'm going to tell you about what's going on in the club because you're not in there anymore. You should totally bring Bobby in there every once in a while. Do something other than just go back to yours and fuck.”

“Shut up about Bobby and talk about something else. I don't care if it's about the club or what.”

**********

“Wanda, they've been gone for three days,” Peter said seriously. “I'm really worried.”

“It's okay, Peter,” Wanda soothed. “Dad just has a lot on his mind and Charles is the only one who can sort out those feelings.”

“I do not understand why you and Lorna are so unconcerned about this. Every time this happens I get more and more convinced that Dad's going to go back to lying to himself about who he is.”

“He's not going to do that,” Wanda stressed. “He just has these moments when he thinks about what his parents would have thought.”

“I know that, bitch. But that doesn't mean that I'm not worried.”

Wanda leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Peter's forehead. “Relax. Everything's going to be fine. Go haul Kurt away from John and jump him in the back room.”

“Fine,” Peter muttered, walking away.

Wanda sighed and leaned up against the counter, smiling at Bobby when he walked up to her. “You okay?”

“Just getting a little frustrated at John's defeatist attitude. I don't know why he won't give Charles a chance to get him his job back.”

“Probably because he's never been the one who has gone through this before,” Wanda said after a moment. “I imagine it's rather frustrating.”

“I can understand that,” Bobby said, sighing heavily. “Wanda, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“How do you know you're in love with someone?”

Wanda glanced at him watching John before shaking her head. “You two haven't told each other how you feel, have you?”

“I'm afraid of pushing him away,” Bobby admitted. “I know he'll never feel for me what I feel for him.”

“Stop thinking that,” Wanda said firmly. “You have no idea what John is capable of feeling. None of us do.”

“Charles said he's worried that John is going to break my heart. I'm worried about that too. But there is something about being with him that feels so right. And that is fucking terrifying.”

“I would imagine so. You've never done this before,” Wanda murmured. “But it's not something to be terrified over. It's a good thing.”

“I want this so badly, Wanda. I want him to want it too. But I have no idea if he does. Every time I ask he tells me how I'm different to anyone he's ever met, that I'm amazing and special and I make him feel things he's never felt before. But I'm also scared to death that he's going to get tired of me. I wouldn't blame him if that happened, but I think it might destroy me.”

Wanda reached out and pulled Bobby into a hug. “The thing about relationships is that there is always a chance you're going to get hurt. And the deeper in love you fall, the worse that hurt is going to be. But the reason for taking the risk is because it's so good when you're not worrying about getting hurt. And that's what makes the risk worth it.”

“I hear what you're saying. I really do. But...”

“But it's still scary.” Wanda pulled back and smiled at him. “I can't guarantee that your relationship is going to be worth it. But I will say that I think John is serious about it. I don't think he's going to just get tired of you all of the sudden.”

Bobby took all that in and nodded. “Thanks, Wanda.”

“No problem, darling,” Wanda said, looking over at the clock. “Take a break, okay? Go talk to him.”

Bobby nodded and set the tray he was holding onto the counter before walking over to John and sitting down next to him. “Hi.”

“Hi, baby,” John said, reaching out and pulling Bobby close, kissing him softly. “Break time?”

“Yeah,” Bobby murmured, settling his head on John's shoulder. “How's it going?”

“Well, I'm currently glad that Peter dragged Kurt into the club so that they could fuck because Kurt was driving me fucking crazy.”

“What was he doing?”

“Asking questions about us that I didn't want to answer,” John said, resting his head against Bobby's. “Stuff that was none of his fucking business.”

“Such as?”

“Kurt wanted to know how we felt about each other, which is a conversation you and I should have for ourselves, not something he needs to be bothering himself with.”

Bobby swallowed hard. “So maybe we should have that conversation.”

“I don't know that I'm ready for that,” John said truthfully. “I'm still working everything out in my head.”

“Me too,” Bobby admitted. “But it's a conversation we need to have.”

“And we will,” John murmured. “I promise. I just need more time for it.”

“That's fine,” Bobby said, shifting his head to press a kiss to John's neck. “Just let me know when you're ready and I'll tell you if I am.”

“Deal,” John said. “Bobby, you know I care about you so much, right? Because I feel like maybe you don't and I just...I can't put it into words yet.”

“I know,” Bobby murmured, sitting up and pulling John into a kiss. “I promise you that I know. Just as I hope you know the same about me.”

John nodded and kissed him deeply. “I do. And one of these days we'll put words to it.”

“I think that sounds wonderful.”

“What time do you get off?”

“That depends entirely on when you blow me.”

John just laughed and shook his head. “Just for that, I'm going to torture you tonight. Keep you on the edge for so long but not let you off of it.”

“Fuck,” Bobby murmured. “Don't fucking talk like that. You'll get me hard and I still have to work.”

“Fine,” John said, kissing him. “I'm serious about what time you get off, by the way.”

“Six,” Bobby said. “I have to cover the first two hours of Theresa's shift because she has to be late today for some reason.”

“Then we should stop and have dinner on our way back to my place.”

“You want us to have dinner together?”

“Is it that surprising?”

“We've just never done that before, that's all.”

“Well, that first morning, I promised you a dinner date. I figure I should live up to that promise. But if you don't want to do it, that's fine.”

Bobby drew John into a deep kiss. “I want to do it.”

John smiled. “Then we have a date.”

“I like the idea of us going on a date,” Bobby said, smiling back. “Marie couldn't believe that we've never been on one.”

“We should have been on one ages ago,” John said quietly. “But the idea of a date terrifies me because I don't date people.”

“You don't call what we're doing dating?”

“Not exactly,” John said, shaking his head. “We have a relationship, but we don't go on dates. So to me, that's not dating. That's just a relationship.”

“I see,” Bobby said. “So do you want to start dating then?”

“If dinner goes well, then I think that might be a good idea,” John said, unable to keep the smile off his face. 

Bobby grinned back at him. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”

“Good,” John murmured. “I wasn't sure what you would think of it.”

“I've been wanting to go on a date with you for ages,” Bobby admitted. “I just didn't think you'd go for it.”

“Well, I think it's time for us to stop just hanging out here and fucking,” John said seriously. “You deserve better than that.”

“You deserve it too,” Bobby pointed out. “This isn't all about me.”

John just shook his head. “No, it really is.”

“Except for the fact that it isn't.”

They fell silent for a moment before John kissed him again. “I'm nervous.”

“Really?” Bobby laughed. “Why?”

“I've never been on a date before,” John admitted. “And so I'm nervous.”

“Johnny, it's just us at a restaurant having dinner,” Bobby said. “The only difference is that it's not going to be this particular restaurant and Jubes or someone else isn't going to be joining us.”

“Perhaps. But I'm still nervous.”

Bobby pulled John closer, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him hard. He licked into John's mouth and explored it gently, smiling inwardly when he felt John shudder against him. When he pulled back to get some air, he gave John a smirk. “That is waiting for you after the date,” he said. “And I'm going home with you no matter what. So don't worry about anything.”

John's hands were trembling when he brought them up to cup Bobby's face gently. “You just had to do that, didn't you?”

“Yes, Johnny, I did.”

“God I want you to fuck you on the nearest flat surface right now.”

“And I want you to do it,” Bobby said, glancing over at the clock. “But my break is over and I have to get back to work.”

“You're a lousy motherfucker for teasing me like that.”

Bobby just grinned at him. “It wasn't a tease, it was a promise. I'll see you on my next break, Johnny.”

John took a deep breath as Bobby stood up and walked away, sitting back against the bench and dropping a hand underneath the table. He carefully curled his hand around his cock through his pants, slowly moving it around until it wasn't pressing so hard against the zipper of his jeans. He was obviously hard, and despite the fact that he really wanted to go slip into the bathroom in the club and take care of it, he decided that he was going to just live with it. If he was tortured for a little while during the last hours of Bobby's shift, then it was just going to make him want to torture Bobby more once they got in his bed. 

And he was going to have a lot of fun doing that.

**********

The dinner rush was just beginning as Theresa shook her head. More people came through the door and she sighed. “You are so fucking lucky that you get to go home now.”

“I've been here all goddamn day,” Bobby pointed out. “Since four o'clock this morning.”

“Four? I thought your shift doesn't usually start until six this week.”

“It doesn't, but I promised Wanda I'd come in early and help with some stuff that Charles normally does,” Bobby said, running his hands through his hair. “She's kind of overwhelmed trying to do her job and his at the same time.”

“So Charles still is not back then?”

“Nope. Peter's losing his mind about it. Wanda is surprisingly chill about the whole thing.”

“She must know more than the rest of us which would not surprise me.”

“Hey, you don't happen to have any makeup remover cloths on you, do you?” Bobby asked. “I kind of don't want to go wherever it is we're going with eyeliner on.”

Theresa gave him a funny look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that John asked me to have dinner with him tonight,” Bobby said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “He wants to go on an actual date.”

Theresa stared at him in shock for a moment before shaking herself out of it. “He finally asked you on a date?”

“Well, technically, he's making this up to me because he told me that first morning after that we'd have dinner together and that never happened. So he's decided that it's time for us to start dating.”

“You have been dating,” Theresa pointed out. “For almost four months.”

“We have been in a relationship for almost four months,” Bobby said. “But we haven't been on a date so we technically haven't been dating.”

Theresa shook her head. “You are insane.”

“No, John is insane. That's his reasoning.”

“Whatever,” Theresa said, grabbing her purse from underneath the counter. “I might have one in here. Might.”

“If you don't, I'll ask Wanda. But I kind of don't want to confess that John and I are going to dinner to everyone.”

Theresa started digging in her purse. “I don't know why you want to be so secretive about your relationship. I mean, I get there is some privacy but come on. This is what we do around here. We talk about this shit.”

“I'm not comfortable with that yet, no matter how much you and Jubes try to get me to talk about my sex life with John,” Bobby said, taking a deep breath. “But if you must know something, I gave my first blow job on Christmas.”

Theresa looked up with a grin on her face. “I can't believe you've waited so long to mention this. And?”

“And I enjoyed the fuck out of it. So did John.”

“Good, girl,” Theresa said, shaking her head. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I don't have any.”

“That's fine, I'll ask Wanda.” Bobby turned to look at the door as it opened again. “I really hope that idiot kid gets here soon. You're going to need help.”

“You and me both,” Theresa said, stuffing her purse back beneath the counter and looking towards the door. “Oh, fuck.”

Bobby looked over there to see a young woman with green hair standing there looking around. “What?”

“That,” Theresa said seriously, “is Lorna.”

“Fuck,” Bobby said, taking in her appearance again. He was just about to say something when Lorna turned and started walking towards where John was sitting, and he heard Theresa gasp next to him. “Is she pregnant?”

“Oh my God, no wonder Erik's been such a bitch lately,” Theresa exclaimed. “Because she is definitely, definitely pregnant.”

“Who is pregnant?” came Wanda's voice, and Theresa spun around to see her standing behind them.

“Wanda! Um, no one is pregnant. Absolutely no one.” Wanda gave Theresa a look and Theresa wilted under her gaze. “Um, Lorna may have shown up and she looks like she's pregnant?”

Wanda's eyes went wide and she shoved Theresa to the side, scanning the room with her eyes before spotting Lorna over talking to John. “Fucking hell, no wonder Dad's gone off the deep end. She certainly hasn't told me about this, but I'm willing to bet she's told him.”

“I don't know what to say,” Theresa said softly. “I don't know what to do.”

“Get to work. The kid isn't coming in,” Wanda said softly. “And Bobby, go get John and get out of here. You've been here all day.”

“I can stay and help Theresa if you want me to,” Bobby said quickly.

“No, it's fine,” Wanda said, her voice calm. “Peter will be around to help because I know after he sees Lorna he's going to refuse to go home.”

“Are you sure, Wanda?”

“Go on your date, Bobby,” Wanda said seriously. “John is very excited and very nervous about it.”

“I know,” Bobby said, smiling. “Alright, I'll go get John and leave.”

“I'll walk with you,” Wanda said, smiling at him. “And Theresa, get to work, seriously.”

“Fine,” Theresa said. “But I want to know what's going on with Lorna as soon as you do.”

“Deal,” Wanda said, taking Bobby by the elbow and walking around the counter. “Come on, let's go introduce you to Lorna.”

Bobby just nodded as Wanda pulled him over to where John and Lorna were. John looked up and saw them, so he stood, reaching for his jacket. “Ready to go, baby?”

Lorna laughed. “What, are you picking up the waiters for trade now?”

“Actually, Bobby is my boyfriend,” John said seriously, pulling Bobby to him and giving him a kiss. “Baby, this is Lorna. Lorna, this is Bobby.”

Lorna's eyes widened. “Boyfriend? John Allerdyce has a boyfriend?”

“Yes,” John said defensively. “And shut up about it.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Bobby got out before Wanda started to speak.

“Lorna, you've got a lot of fucking explaining to do because that is not just weight you put on.”

Lorna sighed heavily and went into Wanda's arms, burying her face in her sister's neck. “I don't even know where to begin.”

“Well, we'll go back into my office and talk about it, okay?” Wanda said soothingly. “Just you and me. Peter will be busy out here helping with the dinner rush.”

“Where's Charles? I don't want him walking in on this conversation. I have no idea how to explain this to him even though I'm sure Dad has.”

“Charles isn't here,” Wanda said. “Dad's run away but Charles is with him now and they'll be back soon. Or at least I hope they will be. It's been three days, and Dad was gone for three days before that.”

“Fuck,” Lorna muttered. She stood up when she heard Peter's voice. “Yeah, let's go to your office before Peter sees me.”

“Sounds good,” Wanda said, wrapping an arm around Lorna's shoulders. “Enjoy your date, boys.”

They watched as Wanda and Lorna walked away before John turned to Bobby and pulled him into a kiss. “Ready to go?”

Bobby nodded and John put his jacket on. “Be honest with me for a second? How bad is this?”

“Lorna?” John asked, continuing when Bobby nodded. “It's bad. Especially if that is Alex's kid.”

“Fuck,” Bobby muttered. “This is going to get ugly, isn't it?”

“Quite possibly,” John said, reaching for Bobby's hand. “But that is not what we're focusing on right now. What we're focusing on right now is our date.”

Bobby grinned. “And where are we going on this date?”

“This little Italian restaurant that I love,” John said, pulling him towards the door. “It's not far from my place. And we have a reservation, so let's go.”

“A reservation? You really did plan this, didn't you?”

“Hey, when I want to do something, I don't just half-ass it. I go all the way with it, give it all of my attention. And right now, that means all my attention is on you and making our date as perfect as possible, no matter how nervous I am about it.”

Bobby couldn't help the grin that stayed on his face as they walked out of the building. “Then I am very much looking forward to being the center of your attention tonight.”

“I'm still torturing you once we get into bed,” John pointed out. “You need to pay for me sitting there hard for half the afternoon.”

Bobby laughed as they crossed the street and started heading towards the train station. “I think I'm going to love and hate this, aren't I?”

“You have no idea, baby. No idea.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's occurred to me today that the title of this story does not match what the story has developed into at all. oh well.

Warren grinned at Bobby as he approached the counter. “So how was the date?”

Bobby sighed heavily. “How do you know about that?”

Warren laughed. “Have you not learned by now that these sorts of things travel through the family fast? Theresa texted me last night all excited because you and John were going on a date, and if the stuff she told me about Lorna is true, then I definitely would much rather hear about your date.”

“You mean the fact that Lorna's pregnant?”

“Yes, that,” Warren said, shaking his head. “I do not want to be here when Erik finds out about that if he doesn't already know. If he does, that might explain why he's gone insane and Charles is taking so long to talk him back to reality.”

“Does this happen with Erik often?”

“Only about once a year or so, usually around the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Poor guy lost them both at once because of a car accident. He usually freaks out around then because he thinks they wouldn't approve of his life the way it is now. That's in June though, so I would guess that this has got to be all about Lorna,” Warren said, leaning up against the counter. “But you're not getting out of answering my question. How was the date?”

Bobby couldn't keep the smile from his face. “I think I have never enjoyed dinner more in my life.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely,” Bobby said, setting his tray down and sitting on a stool. “It's the one thing in this relationship so far that I've had something to compare to, and God, that blew any date I've ever been on out of the water. I mean, granted, I was actually wanting to be there with John when I'd never really wanted to be there with any of the girls I went on dates with, but still. It was amazing.”

Warren just smiled at him. “I still can't believe you managed to tame John Allerdyce. And now you've got him going on dates. It's like he's an entirely different person with you. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing.”

“I don't think I've tamed him,” Bobby said seriously. 

“Trust me, you have. There were a few of the guys that he fucked once that tried to get him to do it again or turn it into more and they were all swiftly and firmly denied. But you somehow managed to do it. I really want to know how that is.”

“I honestly cannot answer that question,” Bobby said after a moment. “And I don't think it's going to last for long anyway.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I'm waiting for the day when he realizes he's tired of me,” Bobby admitted quietly. “And the longer this goes on, the more I think it's going to kill me when it does.”

“You've been listening to too many of the queens that come in here bitching about how John's never in the club anymore,” Warren said. “I don't know why they are so upset about John finally having someone. It's not like he'd ever have fucked any of them more than once.”

“What am I supposed to do? Tell them to fuck off? I'm sure that would get me great tips and I'm kind of barely surviving as it is.”

“Telling some of them to fuck off would probably get you a better tip, to be honest,” Warren said. “But I understand what you're saying. Still, I wouldn't listen to any of them. I mean, John is proving all of us wrong every single moment he spends with you because we all had a bet on how long this would last and it's lasted longer than any of us bet it would.”

Bobby glared at him. “You had a bet about that?”

“Oh honey, of course, we did,” Warren laughed. “Jubes is the only one who didn't participate, but even then she didn't rate your chances very highly. None of us knew how John would take to being in a relationship. You can't blame us for being skeptical given his behavior prior to meeting you.”

“I don't,” Bobby said. “I just wish you all weren't betting on these things.”

“Yeah, well, we do,” Warren said. “Trust me, you'll want in on the one we've got going about when Alex is going to show up again. There is no doubt he's going to chase Lorna back here once he realizes she's not in Chicago anymore.”

“I think that, given I know absolutely nothing about Alex and Lorna, I will sit this one out,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “Though that sounds like it's going to get ugly really quickly if what John and Jubes were telling me about Alex is true.”

“The drug shit?” Warren continued when Bobby nodded. “Oh trust me, that's true. Erik always wanted to have Alex arrested for it but Charles didn't want cops in the club trying to catch him in the act. I don't blame him for that. The cops would probably have arrested eighty percent of the people in there for either drug possession or prostitution.”

Bobby paused. “Prostitution?”

“There's money that changes hands for sex in there, trust me. Charles wants to act like it doesn't, but there's very little he can do to keep it from happening. No one in the family has ever been a paying customer though. Not even John.”

“Sounds like John could get it easily enough without paying for it,” Bobby muttered. “I really am sick of hearing stories about him from other guys he's fucked.”

“Well, John was our resident slut, so I think you'll be hearing those for a while.”

Bobby sighed. “Be honest with me for a second?”

“Of course.”

“Knowing what you know about John, do you think our relationship stands any real chance of lasting?”

“Ooh, that's a hard one,” Warren said, contemplating it for a moment. “Knowing what I know about John's past when it comes to relationships, or lack thereof, and sex? No. But knowing what I know about John as a person? Yes. John's a great guy, Bobby. He's very loyal to those he loves. And he quite clearly loves you.”

“I don't know about that,” Bobby said quickly. “There's no possible way that he loves me.”

“Are you blind? Of course, he does.”

“I refuse to let myself believe that until he actually says it, which I'm pretty sure he won't. Besides, I've listened to too many people tell me that John doesn't know the meaning of the word.”

“And, as I said, you've got to stop listening to those bitchy queens,” Warren pointed out. “Look, I know that everyone and their brother has told you that he's different with you, but he is. And John may not know the meaning of love, but I guarantee you that's how he feels. He might not realize that it's love yet, but it's definitely love.”

“Warren, I appreciate that opinion, really I do, but I'm still not going to believe it until I hear him say it.”

“And he will do that soon, I'm sure,” Warren said. “He's just got to come to terms with it. Before you came along, John's specialties were going home with a different guy every night and not feeling anything. Then you showed up at the club one night and all of that went out the window. I imagine that it's incredibly frustrating to have to deal with, but he just needs some time to work everything out. And he will, don't worry.” 

“I'm glad you're so confident in that.”

“I promise you that he will figure this out. He's Erik's best employee because he can figure shit out when no one else can. I think that is one of the reasons he's been so upset about the fact that Erik fired him. He was sort of invaluable to him.”

“You know more about him than I do,” Bobby groaned. “I didn't know anything about that.”

“Yeah, you two really need to work on the communicating thing. From what Kurt was telling me, it sounds like the two of you barely speak about anything important. But things like that are things John should be telling you no matter how hard other things are. I'll get Jubes to yell at him for that.”

“Jubes doesn't need to yell at him.”

“Oh, trust me, she does. I know she's trying to be patient with him while he figures everything out but she's probably the only one who can get him to do it faster.”

“You know how you say he needs to figure everything out? I need to figure out how to actually say it,” Bobby said, sighing heavily. “I know how I feel about him. I just have absolutely no idea how to go about telling him that.”

“It's three words, Bobby. It's really pretty simple.”

“It goes beyond three words, Warren. Three words aren't enough to describe it.”

“Ah, no wonder you're so convinced that you're going to get hurt in the end,” Warren said, smiling at him. “You think this is way more serious for you than it is for him.”

Bobby could only nod.

“Well, I'm not John so I could quite possibly have no idea what I'm talking about, but based on everything I know about John as a person outside of his former behavior, I think part of the reason that he's having such a hard time working everything out is because he realizes the importance of your relationship. I mean, he told Kurt that he wants this to be his life for a while.”

“He did?”

Warren just rolled his eyes. “Seriously, the two of you need to talk. He should not be saying those things to Kurt and you learning them from me. Where is he, anyway? He's been practically living here since he can't go to work right now.”

“He was having breakfast with Jubes this morning. He'll be here soon,” Bobby said, standing up when he heard the door open. “And I'm getting back to work.”

“Just talk to him, Bobby, okay? You'll feel better once you do.”

“I'll think about it.”

Warren just shook his head as Bobby walked away from him. “Don't think, Bobby! Just do!”

**********

John looked up when someone sat down across from him, seeing Jean's smiling face. “Jean.”

“Hi, John,” Jean said, sliding further into the booth. “Scott's going to be here in a few minutes. I hope you don't mind if we join you.”

“Of course not,” John said, smiling at her. “How are you?”

“Entirely too busy,” Jean said, sighing. “Working at the hospital I'm at is a bitch, but it's so hard to find a place around here that will do a residency for more than just an ER doctor or a surgeon that I'm sticking with it.”

“Well, I hope it gets better soon,” John said. “At least you have a job.”

“I heard about that from Peter,” Jean said, shaking her head. “Erik will come around. He always does.”

“Yeah, well, given how Lorna looked when she showed up here yesterday, I can understand why he's lost his mind.”

“So it's true then? She's back in town?”

“Back in town and pregnant.”

Jean's eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“I don't know the story. All I know is she showed up here last night and she was definitely pregnant.”

Jean covered her face with her hands. “Fuck.”

“Pretty much,” John said, looking up when Scott walked up to the table. “Hi, Scott.”

“John,” Scott said, sitting down and looking over at Jean. “Honey, what is it?”

Jean pulled her hands down and looked at John. “Tell him what you just told me.”

“I'm not sure I should be getting in the middle of this.”

“You already are,” Jean said. “Now tell Scott what you just told me.”

John sucked in a deep breath before turning his gaze to Scott. “Lorna showed up here last night.”

“I heard that from a few people at the shop this morning when I went in to open up for Dad,” Scott said.

“Tell him the rest of it,” Jean ordered.

John swallowed hard. “She might also be pregnant.”

Scott stared at John for a few moments before Bobby walked up to the table and broke the uncomfortable silence by handing out menus. “Can I get you two something to drink? And do you want a refill, Johnny?”

“Johnny?” Jean said, bemused.

“Oh shut up,” John said, throwing a straw wrapper at her. “Scott, Jean, this is Bobby. Bobby, this is Scott and Jean.”

Bobby's eyes widened slightly. “Oh. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Peter.”

“Well, be sure to sit and talk with us someday and we'll tell you the actual truth,” Jean said, smiling at him. “You can't trust anything Peter says.”

“I have learned that,” Bobby laughed before looking at where Scott was continuing to stare at John. “Do you want a moment? I can come back.”

“Just bring us both some water, okay? I'll make sure Scott actually speaks by the time you come back.”

Bobby turned to glance at John and John just nodded. “Yes, I'll take some more soda. And Scott's fine. I just told him about Lorna.” 

“Ah,” Bobby said, bending down to kiss John quickly. “I'll be back.”

Bobby walked away and John couldn't help the smile that crossed his face before turning his attention back to Jean. “So, that's Bobby.”

“I can tell how well this relationship is going just by the look on your face,” Jean said, smiling at him. “I'm glad to see you so happy, John. It's been awhile.”

“Yeah, it has,” John agreed. “He's amazing, Jean. He really is.”

“Then I cannot wait to get to know him better. But that will probably have to wait until I go on a different rotation. The only reason I'm here now is because Scott and I managed to have a day off on the same day for once.”

“LORNA IS PREGNANT?”

“Welcome back, Scott,” John said before nodding. “Yes, she is. And I don't know anything more than that. She went with Wanda into her office to talk right before Bobby and I left for our date.”

“It's going to take me a while to get used to the idea of you going on a date,” Jean said. “Because I used to think you didn't know the meaning of the word.”

“Well, last night was our first one, but hopefully it will be the first of many.”

“Your first date? Peter's been telling us you're in a relationship for weeks now,” Jean said, confused.

“There is a difference between being in a relationship and actually going on dates,” John said seriously. “That part took some getting used to and so it's taken me awhile. Thankfully Bobby is patient.”

“Fuck the date,” Scott said seriously. “Lorna is pregnant?”

John sighed as Jean rolled her eyes. “Yes, Lorna is pregnant. And I have no idea beyond that. Peter probably knows more than I do.”

“Peter has been avoiding my calls and texts all day,” Scott muttered. “Where is he, anyway? I'm going to drag his ass out back and question the fuck out of him.”

“I don't know,” John said, looking up when Bobby approached the table again. “Baby, where's Peter?”

“Baby?” Scott asked, laughing. “Fucking hell, you really are in a relationship, aren't you?”

“Fuck off. Since you were incoherent the last time he was here, Scott, this is Bobby.”

“I don't know who you are to have managed to tame John, but I'm happy for you two,” Scott said as Bobby set their drinks down on the table.

“I have not been tamed,” John growled. 

“Calm down, Johnny,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “I know you haven't. But back to the question about Peter, he's not in today. Which is why I have to go now because I'm covering all the tables. I'll be back to get your orders in a few minutes.”

“He's nice,” Scott said when Bobby walked away. “But I have no desire to talk to you about Bobby at the moment.”

“I told you, Scott, I don't know anything more than what I told you.”

“He's just worried about Alex,” Jean said. “Alex hasn't exactly been responding to any of us lately.”

“He's stopped calling. He won't answer any of our calls,” Scott sighed. “Mom wants Dad to fly out there to find out what's going on but Dad keeps telling her that Alex is an adult now and he has to make his own decisions. I'm just afraid that I know what those decisions are. It would not surprise me at all to find out that he's even heavier into the drugs there than he was here. There are no parents to answer to in Chicago.”

“I really hope not,” John said.

“So do we,” Jean said. “But given everything that he did before, the fact that he never really did stop doing it no matter what he told Scott's parents, and this situation with Lorna, I would not be surprised if he has.”

“I have no idea how to even begin to process this situation with Lorna,” Scott said, running his hands over his face. “Mom and Dad are going to kill him if he's knocked Lorna up.”

“Not if Erik gets to him first,” John said. “He's run again.”

“Is Charles with him?” Jean asked.

“Yes,” John said. “He's also supposed to be trying to get my job back.”

“Erik fired you?” Scott asked, surprised. “I mean, of all his employees, you? You're the one he can count on for anything.”

“I know,” John sighed. “I'm supposed to be letting Charles talk him into giving me my job back but if that doesn't happen soon I'm going to have to find another one. Rent's due soon.”

“Charles will work it out,” Jean said. “Have faith.”

“I'm trying to. But it's easier to say that when you're not the one without a job.”

“I know, trust me,” Jean said, picking up her menu. “I suppose I should start figuring out what I want to eat. And you're telling us about Bobby while we eat. I want to know everything.”

John laughed. “Of course you do.”

“I'm with Jean on this one,” Scott said, picking up his menu as well. “I still can't believe you're in a relationship.”

“Some days, Scott, I can't believe that either. But I'm not complaining. I actually rather like it.”

**********

Wanda looked up when the door of the restaurant opened, about to tell whoever it was that they were closed when she noticed it was Charles. “Oh thank fucking Christ because these last six days have been motherfucking hell on earth.”

Wanda walked around the counter and met Charles halfway, and Charles pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Thank you for running everything for me. I'm sorry it took this long but it needed to.”

“It's fine, Charles,” Wanda said, hugging him tightly. “But things have not gone well around here ever since Lorna showed up three days ago.”

Charles paused. “Lorna's here?”

“She's at my apartment with Peter. Peter's refused to leave her side, so he hasn't been at work since Wednesday.”

“Fuck, I'm afraid that's only going to make things worse,” Charles murmured. “He won't even tell me what the major issue with Lorna is.”

“I know what it is,” Wanda said, pulling back. “She's pregnant.”

“WHAT?”

“I didn't know until she showed up here on Wednesday,” Wanda said seriously. “I would have told you if I had.”

“I wasn't trying to imply that you'd kept it from me,” Charles said quickly. “But fuck, everything makes a lot more sense now.”

“I know. I didn't think it was about anything other than her dropping out of school.”

“She dropped out of school?” Charles just shook his head. “I'm starting to think that I have heard absolutely nothing close to the truth when it comes to Lorna at the moment.”

“I told you as much of the truth as I care to admit is real,” came Erik's voice, and Wanda looked behind Charles to see him walking into the restaurant. “I don't even know how Wanda knows that.”

“I know it because she told me,” Wanda said, glaring at him. “And I know you know that she's pregnant too, so don't you even try to act shocked about that when you see her. She's having a hard enough time as it is.”

“Yeah, well, from what I was hearing from her, it's going to be a while before I see her,” Erik said, walking up to them. 

“She's at my apartment,” Wanda said. “Showed up here the other day with green hair and a round belly.”

Erik took a deep breath before calmly responding to her. “How far along is she?”

“I haven't gotten it out of her exactly but my guess from looking at her is about five months.”

Erik took another deep breath. “Why is she staying at your apartment? Shouldn't she be staying at her mother's?”

“Her mother took one look at her and kicked her out. She was trying to avoid you but she didn't know anywhere but here to go. I'm just glad that Peter and I were here when she showed up.”

Erik swallowed hard. “I'm sorry, Wanda. She told me when she said she wasn't coming home for Christmas and I just...I haven't been myself since.”

“I understand,” Wanda said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. “But you need to learn to talk to us about these things instead of trying to run away from your problems.”

“I think that is something I probably will never learn, but I will try,” Erik said, squeezing her tightly. “And I'll make sure Charles gives you one hell of a bonus for dealing with everything while he tried to talk me into returning to the world.”

Their attention was drawn towards the offices when they heard voices getting closer, and Bobby and John walked into the room a moment later, freezing when they saw Charles and Erik. 

“Fuck,” John said immediately, while Bobby just reached for his hand. 

“John,” Erik said, letting go of Wanda. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Should I let you?” was out of John's mouth before he could stop it, but fuck, he was angry.

“Listen to him, John,” Charles said softly. “Wanda and I will talk to Bobby for a moment.”

John just nodded and Bobby squeezed his hand before walking towards Charles and Wanda. Erik approached John and looked behind him. “Your office, Charles?”

“It's locked,” Wanda said. “Go in mine.”

Erik turned to John and motioned towards the hallway. “After you.”

John spun around and headed towards Wanda's office without saying another word, and when they were both inside the room and Erik had shut the door, he turned to him and did nothing but glare. 

Erik sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair before speaking. “I'm sorry. I never should have fired you for what you said because you were right and I knew you were right, but everything with Lorna just had me on edge and had me thinking of things that I hadn't thought of since she was born, and I took it out on you. I sincerely hope you can forgive me for that.”

“I want my fucking job back.”

“You have your job back,” Erik said seriously. “You can go back to work on Monday.”

“I want a fucking raise too. I lost a lot of fucking money just sitting on my ass around here for a fucking week and rent's due soon and I don't even know how I'm going to pay it now.”

“I will pay your rent this month. Both your half and Jubilee's. And I will give you a raise. A significant one. You deserve it for not only the impeccable work you do but also for putting up with my bullshit on a daily basis. I know I'm not easy to be around on the best of days.”

“I have sat there and watched you fire people before when you're in one of your moods,” John said angrily. “But it was never supposed to be me. You fucking promised me that when I started working there.”

“I know I did,” Erik said, his voice soft. “And that's why I feel so motherfucking awful about this. I broke the trust and understanding that we had and I will work incredibly hard on rebuilding that. But I cannot do any of that if you don't accept my apology.”

“You're the closest thing I'm ever going to have to a father again, Erik. I can't have you going around doing this to me.”

“I will never fire you again,” Erik said. “I promise.”

“You'll have to excuse me if I don't believe that at the moment because I was promised that the first time and you did it anyway.”

“I understand that you're angry, and I know you will be for a while, and I deserve that. But I would like to know if you're going to forgive me or not.”

John sighed heavily and felt the fight leave his body. “I was so fucking happy, Erik. Everything was going so well. And this past week I've just been fucking miserable. Not even Bobby has been able to make me as happy as I was, and that's because I felt like the family I've built for myself was falling apart around me. I know you and Charles always work things out but fuck, Erik. I can't fucking lose you. I could lose this entire place and it would fucking hurt, but losing you would fucking kill me. I don't want to go through that again.”

“You're never going to lose me,” Erik stressed. “I will never abandon you the way your father did. And that makes me even more of a motherfucking asshole for what I did because in a way I did abandon you. I'm sorry, John. I'm so, so sorry.”

John stared at him for a moment before nodding. “I forgive you. But you ever do this to me again and I will fucking kill you myself.”

“I won't. I swear it.” John stepped forward and Erik pulled him into an embrace. “I love you, John. I'm sorry I did this to you.”

“I love you too,” John mumbled. “I fucking hate you right now, but I love you too.”

“You're my son, John,” Erik said softly. “You might not be my biological son but you're my son.”

John took a shuddering breath. “You mean that?”

“Completely.”

John pulled back and looked Erik in the eyes. “That means a lot.”

“I know it does. I should have said it sooner,” Erik said, smiling at him. “Now how about we go back out into the restaurant and you and Bobby can go home and fuck?”

“Actually, Bobby and I are going to a movie.”

Erik gave him a confused look. “You're what?”

“Bobby and I have started dating,” John said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “And it's better than I ever imagined it could be.”

Erik laughed. “I cannot wait to hear about it on Monday then.”

“Good, because I need your help sorting things out in my head. Jubes has been trying to but she has already predetermined what I should be feeling so that's not helping.”

“Then we will take an extra long lunch break and go somewhere that no one in the family has ever heard of, and we'll have a long talk about it.”

John nodded. “Just so long as you pay for lunch because I'm pretty sure I can't at the moment.”

Erik smiled. “I can do that. I should probably be buying you lunch for months to make up for what I did.”

“I would not turn that down if you wanted to actually do it,” John said. “Saves me money so I can take Bobby on more dates.”

Erik just shook his head. “I cannot believe the word date is actually coming out of your mouth and it doesn't have something to do with what day it is on a calendar.”

“It was bound to happen one day.”

“I don't know about that,” Erik said. “You were pretty set on your path in life.”

“And I was pretty messed up too. Bobby has just made me see that I don't have to be.”

“Good,” Erik said. “Now shall we? I need to go see Lorna.”

“Don't yell at her. She looked pretty broken when she came in here the other night.”

“I cannot promise that. But yelling at her is the last thing I want to do.”

John opened up the door. “Something tells me that if anyone needs to be yelled at, it's Alex.”

Erik sighed and followed him out of the room. “That would not surprise me.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> changed the title today. feel better about it now, but it still sucks.

“Hey, Bobby?” Lorna said, walking up to the counter. “That lady over there says she wants to talk to you.”

Bobby looked towards the door and saw Marie standing there. “Fuck, it can't be good if she's coming all the way here to talk to me.”

“Who is she?” Lorna asked. 

“My roommate,” Bobby murmured, shaking his head. “I should go see what she wants.”

“I'll cover your tables while you talk to her,” Lorna said. “So take your time.”

“You should be resting, Lorna.”

“I am capable of getting people refills on their sodas,” Lorna said firmly. “But if it will make you feel better, if it's anything beyond that I'll call out your name.”

“Deal,” Bobby said, walking away from the counter and over to Marie. “You never come to the restaurant.”

Marie looked up at him and Bobby could immediately tell that he was not going to like whatever it was she had to say. “Can we sit down?”

Bobby just nodded and followed her over to a table in the back, sitting down across from her. “What is it?”

“Well, it's somethin' really good for me and not so good for you.”

“I have no idea what that's supposed to mean.”

“As you know, things with Remy are goin' really well.”

“Yeah, now that I finally know about him.”

“Are you ever goin' to forgive me for that?” Marie asked.

“Eventually,” Bobby said, sighing. “So things are going well with Remy.”

“Yes,” Marie said. “And we've decided that it's time to progress to the next step.”

“Which means?”

“Which means that I'm movin' in with him.”

Bobby sat there for a few moments without saying anything. “You're what?” he eventually got out.

“I know that this puts you in a really difficult spot since you just resigned the lease and everythin', but I have to do what I have to do to make me happy just like how you have to do what you have to do to make you happy.”

“A really difficult spot? Is that actually how you just described you leaving me high and dry on a two bedroom apartment in New York City that I have a lease on for another two years?”

“You can find another roommate, Bobby.”

“Who? I am not just living with someone that I've never met before.”

“Maybe you should ask John to move in.”

Bobby's eyes widened. “Are you trying to ruin my relationship before it even really begins?”

“It's been seven months since you met each other. I would think that this isn't somethin' that's totally unwarranted to speak about.”

“Marie, I don't even know how to respond to that.”

“Bobby, it's obvious just from lookin' at the two of you together that you love each other. Yeah, it might be movin' a little fast but so is my relationship with Remy. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing.”

“You have barely seen us together. John has been over to the apartment like twice.”

“Doesn't matter. I can tell.”

“Don't let him hear that.”

Marie tilted her head slightly. “You two still haven't had the talk, have you?”

“He asked for time. I'm giving him time. I need the time too.”

“There's time and then there's gettin' out of ever havin' to say it.”

“I am not having this conversation right now. The conversation we are having is how you are moving out.”

Marie sighed. “At the end of the week.”

“WHAT?” 

“I will still pay my part of this month's rent, but Remy and I are movin' my stuff on Saturday.”

“When did you make this decision? This morning?”

“Actually, I made it two weeks ago.”

If Bobby was angry before, he was furious now. “And you didn't think this was something you should tell me then?”

“I just...you'd just signed the lease and I didn't know how to talk to you about this and I thought maybe if I gave myself a little more time then it would come to me. Instead, all it's done is leave you high and dry sooner than it should have. I'm sorry.”

“You know what, Marie? I'm starting to think that you're not a very good friend. You certainly were not a good roommate.”

Marie sighed heavily. “I deserve that.”

“You deserve worse.” Bobby shook his head when he heard Lorna call out his name. “I have to get back to work. You move your shit out. I'll find somewhere else to stay in the meantime. But I don't want to see you again, Marie. Not for a very, very long time.”

Bobby got up and walked away before Marie could say another word. He approached the table where Lorna was standing, quickly figured out the situation and how to resolve it, and once he had, he slumped down onto a stool in front of the counter and put his head in his hands. “Fuck.”

“You want to talk about it?” Lorna asked, coming to sit next to him. 

“Marie has just announced that she's moving out on Saturday,” Bobby said, turning to look at her. “I signed a new two-year lease on the apartment a month ago.”

“Wow,” Lorna said. “She sounds like a bitch.”

“I think she probably is,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “You don't know the half of it.”

“Bobby, you look atrocious,” Wanda said, walking behind the counter. “What's wrong?”

Bobby didn't answer so Lorna sighed and turned towards her sister. “His roommate just announced she's moving out on Saturday. Apparently, he just signed a two-year lease.”

“A two-year lease on a two bedroom apartment that I can barely afford half the rent of every month. There is no fucking way I can afford the whole thing, there is no way out of the lease, and I am not asking some fucking stranger in New York City to just move in with me.”

“So ask someone who is not a stranger,” Wanda said.

“And who would you suggest?” Bobby asked. “Don't you dare say, John.”

“Well, it's the obvious answer. Besides, he and Jubes need to move. That apartment they live in is absolutely atrocious according to Dad.”

“John refers to it as a shithole,” Bobby said, taking a deep breath. “And I'm not sure it's a good idea for me and John to be living together. It's only been four months.”

“Bobby, you two have been in a relationship since the night you met, if what Jubes says is anything to go off of,” Wanda said, smiling at him. “Maybe you are ready for this step and you just don't realize it.”

“I'll think about it,” Bobby said, standing up when one of his tables flagged him down. “And that's the end of this discussion.”

“Fine,” Wanda called out as he walked away. “But if you don't bring it up with John, I will!”

“Fuck off, Wanda!”

**********

Bobby collapsed down into the booth next to John and immediately put his head on his shoulder. “I have a motherfucking problem.”

“What's wrong, gorgeous?” Jubilee asked from the other side of the table. 

“Yeah, baby, what is it?” John added, turning to press a kiss to Bobby's head. “Whatever it is can't be that bad.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “Marie came to the restaurant today to tell me she's moving out.”

“What?” John and Jubilee said at the same time.

“I know, right? I just signed the new lease a month ago. I am so fucking screwed.”

“It's going to be okay, baby. We'll think of something.”

“No, you're not screwed,” Jubilee said firmly. “John's right. We will figure out a solution to this problem.”

“If you can figure this out for me, I will literally pay you money,” Bobby said, quickly kissing John before standing up. “And when you see Theresa, Jubes, tell her I fucking hate her for not showing up to work tonight.”

“I'll be sure to let her know,” Jubilee said as Bobby walked away. “Fuck.”

“How the fuck are we supposed to come up with something he'll be comfortable with?” John asked. “He needs a roommate, I know he won't be comfortable advertising for a stranger to become one, and everyone in the family already has somewhere to live.”

Jubilee just shook her head. “Do you not see the perfect opportunity here?”

“Perfect opportunity for what?”

“John, our apartment is a shithole. The walls are paper thin, I'm not sure we've had running water in the kitchen the entire time we've lived there, and on top of all of that is the fact that the two of us are trying to live in a one bedroom apartment. Your bed is in the fucking living room, for fuck's sake.”

“What are you getting at, Jubes?”

“I'm saying that our lease is up in a month,” Jubilee said, reaching for her drink. “And you and I both know that we can't afford a different apartment. But if we were to move into an apartment with a certain someone, we could split the rent three ways which would probably make it more affordable for all three of us, and it would bring you and this certain someone even closer together than you are now.”

John stared at her for a moment. “You cannot be serious.”

“I'm deadly serious.”

“Jubes, if the two of us cannot live in a one bedroom apartment, how are three of us supposed to live in a two bedroom apartment?”

Jubilee laughed. “Honey, let's be honest. If we all lived together, you two would be sharing a bed every night. There's no need for more than two bedrooms.”

“This is not a good idea.”

“This is a great idea,” Jubilee said. “It solves Bobby's problem, it solves our problem. What is possibly wrong with this idea?”

“You know what.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “You should just tell him you're ready to have that conversation. Because I know you know how you feel about him.”

“I don't know a goddamn fucking thing,” John said, running his hands over his face. “And I am not saying those words until I am sure I'm ready to.”

“I know, Johnny boy, and that's fine. I don't want you to say them until you're ready to.”

“And I suppose you've known from the moment I met him that it was going to turn into this.”

“No, I didn't,” Jubilee said. “But I did know from the moment you got that fortune.”

John groaned. “That fortune was the fucking worst.”

“But it came true and that makes it the best,” Jubilee pointed out. “And don't you dare deny it.”

“Fine, I won't. I still don't think this is a good idea.”

“John, it's a perfect solution. It helps Bobby out, which is the most important thing here, while also helping us out of a bad situation. Because I do not want to sign another lease on that place. I'd rather live in a cardboard box.”

John rolled his eyes. “That's a little dramatic, don't you think?”

“It's the fucking truth is what it is. Come on, you've been to Bobby's apartment. His building is in a much nicer neighborhood, it doesn't appear to be full of crack addicts and drunks, and that apartment is way, way better than ours is.”

“I know it is, but I just...you're talking about us living together, Jubes. I don't care if you'd be there too or not. Us living together would be a really big step.”

“A step you should be willing to take,” Jubilee said firmly. “Look, you two spend every second you can with each other. You already spend every night in bed together. The only difference would be that instead of Bobby getting up and going home, he would stay and you would go to sleep and then wake up together in the morning.”

“There would be a fuck ton more differences than that.”

“Adjusting to living together will take a little bit of time, just like it will take time for me to adjust to living with Bobby. But he's already used to having a woman as his roommate so it's not like having me there will be completely foreign to him, and there is no way that the two of you aren't going to be able to manage this. You'll get along fine during the adjustment period, and then once you both are comfortable, you will realize there's something really amazing about living with someone you love.”

“And you're speaking from experience here?”

“Before I got that apartment, I was living with a woman that I would say I loved,” Jubilee said softly. “We moved out here from Los Angeles together. It was going to be perfect. And then it wasn't. But when we were in love, living together was the greatest thing in the world. I got to be with her all the time. She was there whenever I was having a bad day or when I needed to tell someone something exciting or I'd burst or when phone calls home didn't go very well. Stuff like that. It was great to have her there until it wasn't. And if you and Bobby ever reach a point where it's not good to live with each other, then we'll move out.”

“You wouldn't have to move with me, Jubes.”

“No, I wouldn't. But I probably would. I like living with you, Johnny boy. We put up with each other's shit and we still get along. I'm never going to fall in love with you and you're never going to fall in love with me. It's perfect. And that's something I won't have to worry about with Bobby either. He's not going to fall in love with me and he's already in love with you.”

“I don't know what he is,” John murmured. “He's still never told me anything beyond him caring about me.”

“Which goes back to the fact that you two need to have that conversation sooner rather than later.”

“You are so fucking annoying sometimes, you know that?”

“You love me anyway,” Jubilee pointed out, smiling when Bobby approached the table with their food. “Brilliant, gorgeous. I was just needing to talk to you too.”

“Jubes,” John warned, but Jubilee just grinned at him.

“So, gorgeous, I think I have a solution for your roommate problem.”

“Oh yeah?” Bobby said as he set their plates on the table. “And what is that?”

“Me and John.”

“You and John what?”

“Me and John as roommates.”

Bobby stared at her for a moment. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, gorgeous. John would be with you in your room and I would be in the other. Rent split three ways will be cheaper for you and I'd almost guarantee cheaper for me and John. We live in a better apartment in a better building in a better part of town and get away from the shithole, and you have your roommate situation settled.”

Bobby sat down next to John and pondered it for a moment. “That actually could work.”

“It would totally work,” Jubilee said, reaching for the ketchup. “Our lease is up in a month but I don't mind paying double for one month just to get the fuck away from that shithole and I'm sure John wouldn't either.”

“You'd have to get rid of some of your stuff,” Bobby pointed out. “There's no room in there for all of what you have, even with Marie's stuff moved out.”

“That's fine,” Jubilee said. “I can definitely part with some of that shit. I've had some of that stuff since I moved to New York. It's trash now.”

“It would take some adjustment to have you two living with me.”

“True, but you already spend like nine gazillion percent of your time with each other, and you're already used to living with a woman so me being there wouldn't be too much of an adjustment.”

“What about sex?” Bobby asked. “I'm sure you don't want to listen to me and John fuck and I'm not entirely sure I want to listen to you do the same.”

“I wouldn't worry too much about me, gorgeous. My conquests have all been happening at other people's places lately. And if the situation ever arises, then we'll figure it out. I mean, didn't you ever hear Marie?”

“Oh trust me, I heard Marie plenty, especially lately,” Bobby said, shaking his head.

“When is she moving out?” 

“Marie is moving out on Saturday, the fucking bitch.”

“Saturday? And she just told you today?” Jubilee stared at Bobby in shock. “She really is a motherfucking bitch.”

“I told her I don't want to see her again. At least not for a while.”

“I think that was a good thing to say, gorgeous.”

“I also told her I was staying somewhere else until she moved out, so if you don't mind...”

“Of course not!” Jubilee exclaimed. “You can stay with us until she's gone.”

“Thanks, Jubes,” Bobby said, nudging John in the side. “You're being awfully quiet, Johnny.”

John glared at Jubilee for a moment before turning to Bobby with softer eyes. “Just listening to the conversation, baby.”

“And what are your thoughts on it?” Bobby asked. “I mean, you would be a pretty major part of all of this.”

John took a deep breath and put a smile on his face. “Sounds great to me, baby. I mean, Jubes is right. It is the perfect solution to all of our problems.”

Bobby grinned and pressed their lips together, quickly deepening the kiss. He sighed when he heard Piotr call out his name and he pulled back before standing up. “I have to get back to work. But this sounds great, guys. Let's work out the details at the bar tonight, okay? I need a drink after the hell that is this shift.”

Bobby walked away before they could say anything, and John turned to Jubilee with venom in his voice. “I motherfucking hate you.”

“This is going to be a good thing and you'll realize that soon enough,” Jubilee said seriously. “Now fucking eat before your food gets cold.”

“I could not fucking care less about that right now,” John said firmly. “You just talked me into moving in with him when I am very much not ready for that.”

“Yeah, well, it's my name that's on the lease for that shithole and I'm moving in with Bobby so either you find somewhere else to live, letting him know in the process that you don't care enough to move with me and thereby crushing a piece of his soul, or you suck it up and move with me and realize after a couple of weeks that it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. The choice is entirely up to you.”

John sighed heavily. “I just don't want this to happen too fast. That's my only problem with this.”

“It's not,” Jubilee assured. “John, at the rate your relationship has gone, this is a natural next step. You two have had a whirlwind romance and this is the next step in that.”

“Can you please never refer to my relationship as a romance again?”

Jubilee just laughed. “You might inject a little romance in there every once and awhile you know. Bobby might like that.”

“I'd like to think that he considers the dates we've been having as romantic,” John said after a moment. “They certainly have been for me.”

Jubilee grinned at him. “And you thought dating was a bad thing.”

“Fuck off,” John said, throwing a fry at her. “I am mad enough at you to begin with.”

“This is a good thing, John. Trust me on it.”

“We'll see about that.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Thank you so much for helping us move,” Jubilee said, turning towards Kitty and Piotr. “I have no idea how this would have happened without someone with a car and time during the day, which means that you two are literally the only people who could have helped us.”

“Of course, darling,” Kitty said, letting her hand linger on Jubilee's arm. “We'd do anything to help you, you know that.”

“Yeah, guys, thanks a lot,” John added. “I seriously don't know what we would have done without you because we definitely couldn't afford a moving company.”

“It is nothing,” Piotr said, smiling at him. “We were happy to help.”

“I am just glad that Charles gave us all the day off to get this accomplished,” Kitty said, giving Jubilee a smoldering look. “And now that it's over, it gives us time to do other things.”

Jubilee swallowed hard. “Yes, other things. I'm going to go do other things the moment this is over.”

John just rolled his eyes. “For fuck's sake, Jubes.”

Jubilee glanced over at Bobby before turning her gaze back to John. “John. You know I can't talk about that in certain company.”

“Which is complete bullshit.”

Jubilee just shook her head. “It's bad enough that you know. I never should have told you.”

“You had to tell someone. You would have gone insane if you hadn't.”

“They didn't know you knew until right now.”

John laughed. “Well, they can fucking deal with it. I'm not going around telling other people. I haven't said a word about it to anyone, including Bobby.”

“I just...it's hard to explain, okay? And I don't want him to go talking to people about it.”

John sighed heavily. “You honestly think you can't trust him? He's not going to go tell anyone.”

“Trust me with what?” Bobby asked. “I am very confused at the moment.”

Jubilee sighed. “I'll explain it. But only if we're alone.”

“Then we will leave,” Kitty said, walking over to Jubilee and giving her a light kiss. “Piotr and I will see you in a little while, darling.”

Jubilee nodded as Piotr gave her a comforting smile before walking out of the apartment with Kitty. She turned to Bobby and saw the look on his face and sighed again. “Look, I'm not telling him this if he's going to freak.”

“I won't freak out,” Bobby said seriously. “I promise. I just want to know what's going on.”

“What's going on is that I'm fucking Kitty,” Jubilee said, sitting down in one of the armchairs. “And I'm also fucking Piotr.”

Bobby blinked and let John pull him over to the sofa. “Jubes, I...” he started. “I thought you were a lesbian.”

“I am,” Jubilee said firmly. “But Piotr's amazing. I mean, if someone had told me a year ago that I would be fucking a man on a regular basis I would have laughed in their face. But when I'm with them, I'm not thinking about the fact that Piotr is a man. I'm just thinking about how motherfucking good he makes me feel.”

“I really don't know what to say,” Bobby said after a moment. “I really don't.”

“It's okay, baby,” John said, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Jubes knows what she's doing.”

“No, that's not what I meant,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “I just...Kitty's supposed to be straight but she's fucking you. You're supposed to be a lesbian yet you're fucking Piotr. And I assume Piotr is still fucking Kitty. And somehow all of you are okay with this.”

“Baby, there's nothing wrong with this,” John said, pulling him closer. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with what they're doing.”

“I'm not trying to say that there is,” Bobby said. “This is all coming out wrong, isn't it? Basically, I just need some time to work it out in my mind. I'm not upset or freaked out or anything. Whatever makes you happy, Jubes, is something I'm totally supportive of. I just can't wrap my head around this at the moment.”

“I can totally understand that,” Jubilee said. “Our relationship is something I'm still coming to terms with myself.”

“Relationship?” John asked, giving Jubilee a look.

Jubilee sighed. “They want it to be more than just fucking. And quite frankly, so do I. Kitty and Piotr are amazing. They treat me better than anyone I've ever been in a relationship with before has. If this was the rest of my life, I wouldn't be upset by that.”

John stared at her for a few moments. “So what, you're in love with both of them?”

“I think so,” Jubilee said. “It's just...there are days I still can't believe this is happening, right? And yet everything we do together feels so right. I know this is what is supposed to be happening even if it is so not what I had planned. They're it, Johnny. At least for a while.”

“Well, I think that's fantastic,” Bobby said. “It's just going to be an adjustment and I might have to leave the apartment every time you fuck, but it's totally fine.”

“Don't worry, we're never going to come here and have sex,” Jubilee said. “That all takes place at Piotr and Kitty's apartment. You and John will be the only people having sex here.”

Bobby laughed. “That's good because I really wasn't sure I wanted to hear what you all sound like when you come. It's bad enough that I know what Marie does.”

Jubilee laughed. “I don't want to know that about you either so if you could keep your fucking to when I'm not at the apartment I would appreciate that.”

“I'll think about that,” Bobby said, poking John in the side. “You've gone quiet.”

“Just thinking about something, that's all,” John said, turning to give him a smile. “It's not important.”

“Which means that it's very important,” Jubilee said firmly. “So spill.”

John sighed. “It's not important in the way that you're thinking, Jubes.”

“I don't care, you're talking about it.”

“I'd really rather do something about it,” John said, grinning.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bobby asked.

“It means that I was thinking about the fact that you and I have never fucked in this apartment. We never had sex any of the times that I came here before.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “Of course you would be thinking of that.”

“Oh come on, I'm motherfucking allowed to think about fucking my boyfriend.”

Bobby smiled. “I like it when you call me your boyfriend. And I like it when you think about fucking me. That usually means sex is coming soon.”

“You two are ridiculous, just so you know. Ridiculous and ridiculously adorable,” Jubilee said, standing up. “I will head over to Piotr and Kitty's and you two can go fuck.”

“Oh, like you're not going over there to do the same damn thing,” John pointed out. 

“Actually, we have a glass of wine and talk before we fuck, thank you very much,” Jubilee said, shaking her head. “And I'm definitely going to enjoy that today. Moving was fucking hard work.”

“Yes, it was, but think about the positives, Jubes. No more shithole,” Bobby said. “And you two are going to love living here. Marie and I could barely hear our neighbors, even when they were fucking.”

“That sounds like a godsend,” Jubilee said, walking over to the sofa and bending to give each of them a light kiss. “I will be home later and we can all figure out someplace to go have dinner. But not the restaurant. Not tonight.”

“I agree,” John said, smiling at her. “Have fun, Jubes.”

“You two have fun too,” Jubilee said, grabbing her bag off the side table and heading towards the door. “Just don't fuck on the sofa.”

“Just for that, we are going to!” Bobby called out. “And besides, it's my sofa. I'll do whatever I want on it!”

“Then I'm never sitting on it!” Jubilee called out as she walked out the door, leaving Bobby and John laughing.

“I really don't want to fuck on the sofa,” Bobby said. “Do you?”

“Absolutely not,” John said, shaking his head. “There is no room to have you spread out and writhing beneath me, and you have absolutely no idea how much that arouses me.”

“Oh, is that so?” Bobby said playfully, standing up. “What else arouses you?”

“Absolutely everything about you,” John said, standing up as well. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

“I'd love to hear it sometime,” Bobby said seriously. 

“I'd rather show you,” John murmured, pulling Bobby close. “Because I do my best to show you every time we're in bed together.”

Bobby shuddered as John's hands slid underneath his shirt. “I do. I feel it. I just...I thought it was all me.”

“No, baby,” John whispered before bringing their lips together in a gentle kiss. “I feel it too.”

“We should have that conversation sooner rather than later,” Bobby murmured against his lips. 

“We will,” John promised. “But right now I just want to lay you on your bed and fuck you until you don't even know your name.”

Bobby laughed. “Our bed, Johnny. It's our bed now.”

John smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is. This is going to take some getting used to. I've never shared a bed with someone before. Sure there have been guys over to fuck but they always left. You're actually the only person I've ever had that moment of waking up and they were still there with.”

Bobby reached up and threaded his hands through John's hair. “I'm really the only person who you've ever woken up with?”

John nodded. “I didn't do relationships. And everyone in the club knew it. But you...I've been drawn to you since the moment we met even though I did a very poor job of trying to convince myself otherwise. But I'm not convincing myself of that anymore. I'm just letting myself be with you because that's what I want more than anything in the world. I can't put it into words beyond that at the moment which is why I don't want to have the conversation. I'm just not there yet.”

Bobby grinned. “I know, Johnny. And I'll give you the time you need. I still need time too. I just want to have that conversation at some point.”

“We will,” John said again. “You deserve the world, baby. And I don't know if I can give it to you but I'm going to try.”

“That's all I can ask of you,” Bobby murmured, pulling John into a deep kiss. “And maybe one day I'll be able to figure it out.”

John paused at that, his mind playing what Bobby had just said over and over in his mind. Did that mean Bobby really wasn't in love with him? Did it mean that Jubilee and Kurt and everyone else was wrong? Did it mean he was possibly the one that was more invested in this relationship?

“Johnny.”

Bobby's voice broke him from his thoughts and he smiled at him. “Sorry. I was just thinking about how magnificent you are.”

“I'm magnificent now?”

“You're magnificent always,” John said, pulling him towards the hallway. “I'm going to have to get this walk down. When we're all over each other and headed towards the bedroom, I might crash us into the walls at first.”

Bobby laughed. “That's fine so long as we actually get to our room. I don't know if I really want to fuck against the wall.”

“I don't think that would be a problem, though sex up against a wall can be quite enjoyable,” John said, approaching the door to the room. “This our room stuff is really going to take some getting used to. But I will get used to it. I promise.”

“It's going to take some time for me too,” Bobby said as they entered the room. “It's been a while since I shared a room with someone.”

John paused near the dresser. “Who have you shared a room with?”

Bobby laughed. “It wasn't someone romantically. It was my brother.”

John breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn't know if you'd ever had a relationship with a woman go that far.”

“No, no, definitely not,” Bobby said, wrapping his arms around John's waist and walking them over to the bed. “My relationships with women were absolutely disastrous and didn't last more than a couple of months. We never got anywhere near the idea of living together.”

“We've only been together a few months,” John pointed out. “And now we're living together.”

“Yeah, but there's a major difference there. I actually want to be in this relationship. I never wanted to be in the others. I'm not lying to you all the time. I'm allowed to be myself.”

“And I really like that self,” John said, leaning in and kissing him softly. “I never want you to think that you have to pretend to be something else to make me happy. You being you makes me happy.”

“Thanks, Johnny,” Bobby said, giving him a smile. “Sometimes I think I just need to hear that still.”

“I'll tell you whenever you need me to,” John said truthfully. “I will always be here for you, baby. Always.”

Bobby nodded. “I believe we came in here to do something other than talk.”

John just rolled his eyes and pulled him into a deep kiss. “I think that it involved us taking our clothes off.”

“Then I think we should probably do that.”

John pulled Bobby into another kiss and slid his hands underneath Bobby's shirt, smiling when he felt Bobby shudder against him. He slowly inched the shirt up, running his hands all over the exposed skin, until he had to break the kiss to pull it over Bobby's head. He tossed the shirt away and resumed his exploration of Bobby's torso with his hands, grinning when Bobby groaned as he stopped to pinch one nipple and then the other. 

Bobby pushed John away and reached for his shirt, quickly whipping it over John's head. Bobby's hands ran down John's sides and immediately went to the button on his jeans, popping it open and reaching for the zipper. He shoved hard on the jeans once he had them open and they quickly dropped to the floor. He shoved John's underwear down a moment later, and John moaned loudly when Bobby wrapped a hand around his rapidly hardening cock. 

“You're not wasting any time, are you?” John breathed out as Bobby slowly stroked him.

“Why waste time?” Bobby said playfully. “I believe I was promised to be fucked so hard I won't remember my name, and I really think you shouldn't be able to remember yours either.”

John groaned and reached for Bobby's pants, getting them undone and shoving them down. His boxers followed a moment later and then John was reciprocating by stroking Bobby's cock, and Bobby threw his head back and moaned. 

“I think we should get on the bed,” Bobby said after a few moments.

“I think that's a great idea,” John said, and then they were letting go of each other and toeing off shoes and kicking pants across the room. 

Bobby crawled onto the bed and John followed him, and then they were kissing hard, hands roaming over each other's bodies. John pushed Bobby onto his back and climbed on top of him, sliding down until he was level with Bobby's cock. Bobby groaned when John licked the underside before taking him into his mouth, and his eyes rolled back in his head when John immediately took him deep. Moans spilled from his lips as John set a fast pace, and John smiled inwardly when Bobby's hands came up to tangle in his hair and guide him. He pulled back and licked along the head before glancing up at Bobby. Bobby's eyes were wide and his skin was flushed, and all John could think about was how stunning Bobby looked like that.

“You are absolutely gorgeous like this,” John murmured before taking Bobby deep again.

“Ngh, thank you,” Bobby got out right before John swallowed around him, drawing his orgasm out of him. 

John sat back and licked his lips before crawling up to kiss Bobby deeply. They kissed for a few moments before Bobby tried to roll John onto his back, but John resisted it. “Baby, if you blow me I won't be able to fuck you for a while. And I really need to fuck you.”

“Mmhm,” Bobby mumbled, trailing kisses down John's neck. “Then I guess I'm not blowing you.”

“You can do that later,” John said. “I will look forward to it.”

Bobby laid back and took a deep breath. “Then I suppose it's time to fuck me.”

John nodded and sat back, looking around the bed before sighing. “We need condoms and lube.”

Bobby pushed himself up on his elbows. “Fuck.”

“Do you have any?”

“I have lube but I don't have condoms,” Bobby said, motioning towards the bedside table. “Lube's in there.”

John took a deep breath and tried to remember where he'd packed the condoms. “Fuck, I don't want to go opening up every single fucking box there is in this apartment trying to find a fucking condom.”

“Then maybe we should do it without one,” Bobby said, and John's eyes locked onto his.

“No,” John said seriously. “I have fucked entirely too many guys to even think of risking it. I do not want to give you something.”

“I think you'd know by now if you had a sexually transmitted disease, John.”

“Something like herpes, yes. If I was positive, no.”

“You really think there's a chance that you might be?”

“I have no idea,” John said seriously. “But I have had a lot of unprotected sex before and I'm not about to even think about risking it.”

“Why did you have unprotected sex?” Bobby asked. 

John sighed heavily. “Well, it was usually a combination of me being too drunk and too willing and usually that occurred up against the wall in the club.”

“That first night, you said you didn't want my first time to be up against the wall in a club like yours was. Was that...” Bobby trailed off but John understood where he was going with it.

“My first time was up against the wall in the club. I was too drunk to really understand what was going on, I was too willing to have sex for the first time in my life, and the guy I was with just took advantage of me. He turned me so I was facing the wall, pressed me up against it, loosened me up a little, and then shoved his dick in me. It was fucking painful and it was not enjoyable. He didn't give a fuck about getting me off and he had my arms pinned to the wall so I couldn't do it myself. I didn't realize until I felt him come in me that he hadn't used a condom. 

“And well, that was the start of a bunch of really bad decisions I've made in my life. I really only pulled myself out of the shit I was doing when Charles gave me a job in the restaurant and let me live with him and Erik for a little while. I was a nineteen-year-old kid who was on a path of destruction and they helped me realize that what I was doing was tremendously stupid.”

“What were you doing?” Bobby asked quietly.

“It started out with some ecstasy because that made sex better. Then it turned into weed to calm me down when I was frustrated over my parents and kind of freaking out about the life I'd chosen for myself. Then it turned to cocaine for a while, but that shit was expensive as fuck and I needed money for it so I wasn't paying my rent, and that led to me getting evicted from the place I'd only gotten a couple of months before after the roommate incident. I literally went to the restaurant after I got the eviction notice and ordered nothing but a soda because I didn't think I could afford anything else, and Erik noticed me and came and sat down and started talking to me. That's the moment that he became so important in my life because he told me that if I let him, he'd be able to help me. And he did. Erik is like a father to me. Charles is great, don't get me wrong, but Erik's the one I go to about anything. That's why him firing me got to me so much. It was like rejection from my father again. But he's the one that made me realize that the drugs weren't helping me, they were only hurting me. So I quit doing them and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.”

“I had no idea.”

“I know,” John murmured. “And I would have told you eventually. But I just have never found the right time for it.”

“So you had a lot of unprotected sex when you were high?”

“Oh yeah. Condoms weren't exactly what was going through my mind at that time. And there was never a discussion about whether or not each of us was clean. It was just a fuck and that was it. Everyone before you was just a fuck and that was it. Condoms or not, I've had sex with a fuckload of people, Bobby. And there is too much of a chance that I might be positive to even begin to risk it with you. I don't want to give you anything that I might have.”

“So why don't you go find out whether or not you are positive?”

“Do you even realize how expensive doctors are?” John asked. “Because they're fucking expensive.”

“What about the clinics?” Bobby asked. “There's that one near the restaurant. I went there when I had that really bad cold and they were great. And cheap.”

John sighed. “I hear what you're saying. I really do. But I just...I'm scared to find out the truth, if that makes any sense. If I'm clean then it's fine, but if I'm not...I'm just scared of it.”

“I'll go with you,” Bobby said. “I'll even get tested too if that will help you.”

John stared at him for a moment. “You'd do that for me?”

“I'd do anything for you, Johnny,” Bobby said, holding out his arms. “Come here.”

John settled down along Bobby's side and let Bobby kiss him gently. “I adore you, you know that?”

“I think you're pretty great too,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “I have an idea.”

“And what idea is this?”

“We go to the clinic right now and both get tested, and then we stop by the corner store and buy some condoms, and then we come back here and finally fuck.”

John laughed. “God I want to fuck you right now.”

“And I want you to. But you're right, we shouldn't risk it.”

John took a deep breath and looked down at his hard cock. “That is going to be really uncomfortable in my pants.”

“Well, you're not going to be hard by the time you put your pants on,” Bobby said, his hand drifting down to wrap around John's cock and slowly stroking it. “Your options are either me blowing you or getting you off by hand. Take your pick.”

John stared at him for a moment. “I kind of really want to kiss you a lot, so hand.”

“As you wish,” Bobby said, pulling John into a deep kiss as he picked up the pace on John's cock. 

Bobby ran his hand over the head every time he reached the top, and he tightened his grip a little when he heard John start to moan into their kiss. Bobby broke apart to suck in some air and then dove back in again, kissing John passionately as he picked up the pace of his strokes. He really wanted to tease John, take him to the edge and then back off, but he could save that for later. The goal right now was to get John to a clinic and to get tested, but in order to do that, he had to get John off. 

Bobby increased the pace of his hand as he licked into John's mouth and began to explore. He felt John shudder against him as he ran a thumb over the head of his cock and deduced that John was close, so he pulled back to look at him. “Come for me, Johnny.”

“Oh fuck,” John got out. “So close.”

Bobby tightened his grip and increased his pace, and it wasn't long before John's eyes slipped closed and he let out a loud moan as he came all over Bobby's hand. He collapsed onto his back breathing heavily, and he opened his eyes to watch Bobby lick his hand clean. “Holy fuck, that's so fucking hot.”

Bobby laughed and leaned down to kiss him. “I should give you hand jobs more often then.”

John just shook his head. “I would much rather prefer to fuck you. And soon.”

“You can fuck me only if you get tested,” Bobby said. “That is a requirement today.”

John groaned. “You're not going to let this go, are you?”

“It's for your own good,” Bobby said seriously. “And I happen to care about how healthy you are.”

“Fine,” John said, slinging an arm over his eyes. “But I need a few minutes.”

“I can give you that,” Bobby said, laying down next to him. “But we are going, so don't try to milk this so you can get out of it.”

“I won't,” John murmured. “You're right. I know you are. I'm just scared.”

“Don't be scared until there's a reason to be,” Bobby said, caressing John's stomach. “You probably are completely healthy. It's just time to confirm that.”

“Easy enough for you to say,” John said. “You're not the whore.”

“You were never a whore, Johnny. Stop calling yourself that.”

“I don't think I can count how many people I've had sex with. Trust me, I was.”

Bobby sighed. “Well, you're not one anymore and don't think I'm going to let you return to being one either. I quite like the idea of us sharing a bed for a long time.”

John just smiled. “Me too, baby. Me too.”


	15. Chapter 15

Bobby put his tray down on the counter next to the register and he smiled at Lorna as she gave a customer their change. “How are you feeling today, Lorna?” he asked once the customer was walking away.

“I'm feeling fine,” Lorna said, smiling at him. “A little tired but that's it.”

“You should sit down,” Bobby said. “Charles told us to make you sit down as much as possible.”

“Of course he did. He doesn't know much about how to deal with a pregnant woman. Dad at least has some experience in that area but he's not exactly speaking to me at the moment.”

Bobby gave her a concerned look. “Erik's not talking to you?”

“No, he is but it's only superficial conversation, you know? He doesn't want to talk about what is actually happening. He's like ignoring the fact that I'm pregnant. And he doesn't even want to know who the father is.”

“Who is the father then?” Lorna looked behind herself to see Theresa standing there. “Seriously, Lorna. No one has been able to get an answer on that out of you.”

“Because I know how much it will upset everyone,” Lorna answered. “I think you all already know the answer anyway.”

“We have suspicions,” Theresa said, walking around her and leaning up against the counter across from Bobby. “We'd just like them confirmed.”

“And I'm not doing that,” Lorna said. “I'd like to keep some things private.”

“Theresa!”

Theresa sighed. “Piotr is demanding tonight. I'll be back later.”

Lorna sighed as Theresa walked away before looking at Bobby. “If you're going to try to get that answer out of me, go the fuck away.”

“No, I'm not,” Bobby said. “I really don't care who the father is. I just care about you.”

“You care about me? That's funny.”

“You're a member of the family. And this family is all that I have left, so yes, I care about you. I care about everyone in the family.”

Lorna studied Bobby for a moment. “Your family was motherfucking assholes, weren't they?”

“You could say that,” Bobby murmured. “But that's okay. I feel more at home here with all of you than I ever did with them. This is my family now and I want it to stay that way for the rest of my life.”

“Well, I can promise you that,” Lorna said. “I'll stay in contact with you no matter if no one else will should this place go away. But I don't think this place is going anywhere. Charles is leaving it to me, Wanda, and Peter when he dies and I don't suspect that we'll close it down. I mean, this is Wanda and Peter's life basically. I feel like they live here. I honestly don't know how Wanda gets some sleep. Between being here all day and going out every night, it's crazy.”

“Wanda goes out every night?” 

“Oh yeah. She's not going to find a man around here. She needs to head to straight clubs and find her trade there. I'd be doing the same thing if I was not pregnant with that asshole's child.”

“So he's an asshole, huh?”

“A major motherfucking one,” Lorna said, shaking her head. “I really hope that he doesn't chase me back here, but I'm not too confident on that theory. I'm fully expecting him to show up here any day.”

“We'll protect you, you know,” Bobby said seriously. “If you don't want this guy anywhere near you then we'll make sure that he isn't.”

“Thanks, Bobby,” Lorna said, giving him a shaky smile. “I really appreciate that.”

“No problem, Lorna.”

“So, since I just told you something, I want you to tell me something I've been wondering for a while.”

“Alright.”

“How on earth did you manage to get John to give up the insanity that was his life and settle down with you?”

Bobby sighed heavily. “I have no idea to be perfectly honest. He just says that there was something different about me, that I made him feel things that he'd never felt before. He told me we had to try or he'd go insane, and really, I wanted a relationship with him. So we're giving it a try.”

“You're living together.”

“Yes, we are.”

“You've only known each other for like eight months.”

“I know.”

“You must be incredibly awesome then,” Lorna said. “Because I cannot believe that John still isn't in the club every night fucking along the back wall.”

Bobby swallowed hard. “He did that often?”

“Oh yeah,” Lorna said. “He'd fuck someone against that wall and then he'd find someone else to go home with. Dad and Charles were super worried about him before he hooked up with you. They're still worried about him to be perfectly honest, but they also think you're good for him so they're trying not to worry so much. I think their worry right now is more about what will happen to the two of you when this ends.” 

“I really don't like thinking about that and yet some days it's all I can think about,” Bobby admitted. “It's like I know the end is coming but I'm just not sure where that's going to be.”

“I imagine people around here are still thinking he'll just drop your ass one day because he's gotten bored. But I don't think John would do that. He's not that kind of guy.”

“You think?”

“John has done some monumentally stupid shit in his day, okay? But he's also a really kind, gentle man when he's not fucked up. And he hasn't been fucked up in the last eight months according to my father, and that's all down to you,” Lorna said seriously. “I highly doubt John would just kick you out of his life without giving you a reason for why he's doing it. I think he'd try to figure it out, work things out, before he'd ever end things. He loves you, Bobby. I can tell just by watching him.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “I don't know how he feels about me. We haven't had that conversation yet. He says he needs some time before he can put how he's feeling into words and that's good because I'm not sure I can put how I'm feeling into words either.”

“But you do love him, right?” Lorna asked. “Because if you don't, please don't string him along. I know that everyone talks about how this ending would destroy you, but no one ever thinks about how this would destroy John too.”

“I'm not stringing him along,” Bobby said firmly. “I promise. I just don't know how to describe things. That's all.”

“Good,” Lorna said, “because I might have had to kill you if you were. I'm rather protective of John.”

“Why?”

“John lived with Dad and Charles for about a year when I was a kid. And I was over there all the time because quite frankly my mother is a bitch, something that was confirmed when she found out I was pregnant and kicked me out. Anyway, John was always super nice to me when he didn't have to be, this little eleven-year-old girl who kept pestering him about stupid shit, and I just got attached to him. Wanda and Peter were in and out of the house because they didn't live there anymore and Dad was always at work and Charles was almost always gone because the restaurant or club needed something, so it was just me and John during the days when he wasn't working here. He would play with me and he would watch movies with me and he would just be great to me.”

Bobby smiled. “I'm glad you two had each other.”

“Oh yeah, I think he needed someone to help him with the withdrawal from the drugs and I was the one that could take his mind off of it,” Lorna said. “And then at night, he'd go use his fake ID and get into the club. Dad and Charles knew all about it but they never stopped him like I think they probably should have. He'd find someone to go home with and then he'd come back the next morning with breakfast for us. It really was rather sweet.”

“And I suppose that happened often?”

“Almost every morning,” Lorna said. “As I said, John used to do some monumentally stupid shit and that's why Dad and Charles are so worried about him still. But everyone thinks you're the best thing that's ever happened to him, so please don't fuck this up. I don't want to see him destroyed again, because that's what he was. He hadn't gotten over his parents' rejection at all. That's why he was drowning himself in sex and drugs. He'll never admit that though.”

“Bobby!”

Bobby sighed. “Work beckons. But thanks for the chat, Lorna.”

“Anytime, Bobby.”

As Bobby walked to the kitchen, he let everything Lorna had said sink into his mind, and he wondered what else there was about John that he didn't know. He wondered if he'd ever find out.

**********

“You do realize that Lorna has been telling Bobby about the stupid shit you used to get up to, right?” Jubilee said, looking across the table at John. “Because she's probably doing it right now.”

“I've already told Bobby part of it,” John said, reaching for his glass. “And he did not freak out about it.”

“What did you tell him?” 

“I told him about the unprotected sex. I told him about the drugs. And I told him about my fear that I might have something so he made me go get tested.”

Jubilee's eyed widened. “You actually went and got tested?”

“Yes. At that clinic near here. I'm waiting for the phone call. They said they'd have the results today.”

“I have tried to get you tested for years! Why did you listen to him and not me?”

“You didn't withhold sex until I got tested,” John said seriously. “And I was not going to give up my opportunity to fuck for the first time in my new apartment. We needed to go out and buy some condoms anyway so I figured I might as well listen to him and get tested while we were out because I really wanted to fuck in our bed for the first time.”

“I'm in shock over this. But it is a really good thing. And is this why you were getting drunk in the club last night? I thought Bobby was ready to kill you for how much you were drinking.”

“Yeah, he wasn't too happy with me,” John said, sighing. “But there are times when I just need to be drunk. That was one of those times. I'm fucking terrified of what this phone call is going to tell me.”

“Don't worry until there's a reason to worry, Johnny.”

“That's easy to say when you're not the one who is potentially positive, Jubilation.”

“You need to have a better attitude about this,” Jubilee said firmly. “That phone call will likely tell you that you're fine.”

“But what if I'm not? I mean, there is a good...” John said, trailing off when Piotr approached the table.

“How is everything this evening?” Piotr asked, putting a hand on Jubilee's shoulder. 

“Great,” Jubilee answered, looking up at him with a smile. “I had a wonderful afternoon with Kitty. She invited me over for a glass of wine.”

“That's great to hear,” Piotr said, grinning at her. “I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. And John, how about you?”

Piotr didn't even turn and look at him, which just made John roll his eyes. “My day has been fine, thank you very much. The food is good too, which I believe is what you actually meant. Also, you're being obvious.”

Piotr immediately removed his hand from Jubilee's shoulder and turned his attention to John. “I'm sorry to hear that the food is cold. I'll send over a free dessert to make up for it.”

Jubilee grinned at that. “Thank you, Piotr. I really appreciate that.”

John just sighed as Piotr walked away. “You two are way, way too obvious. Piotr is standoffish with absolutely everyone and here he is being entirely too friendly with you. If you don't want people to know then I would suggest telling Piotr not to do that.”

“Fine,” Jubilee said. “Let's get back to what we were talking about.”

John started to talk but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He took one look at the number and quickly excused himself outside, leaving Jubilee to sigh heavily. Bobby sat down in the booth a moment later and gave her a confused look.

“Where's John?”

Jubilee sighed again. “His phone rang and I think it's the phone call. He excused himself outside.”

“I should go out there.”

“No,” Jubilee said. “Let him do this alone. I'm still shocked that he actually did it. I've wanted him to do it for years and I know I'm not the only one.”

Bobby shook his head. “I'm glad he listened to me then. Because if he is positive, he needs to be seeing a doctor on a regular basis.”

“I know. Trust me, I know. Charles and Erik have been after him for forever to do this. They'll be really happy to hear that you got him to do it.”

“I think Charles and Erik are happy about a lot of things when it comes to me and John. Lorna was telling me some stuff I didn't know and I just...I remain confused about why he's with me, but if that was what his life was like before me, I'm really glad he met me that night,” Bobby said, sighing. “I don't even want to think about who it was he probably fucked against that wall before he took me home with him. If it wasn't my first time, I think he probably would have fucked me up against that wall too.”

“I'm not going to lie to you,” Jubilee said softly. “He probably would have. But because he took you home with him, something sparked inside him that had never done so before and that's how he ended up in this relationship. And trust me, he's very happy to be in this relationship. I've never seen him so happy.”

Bobby went to reply but then John sat down next to him, immediately putting his head on Bobby's shoulder. “Good, you're here so I can tell both of you at once.”

“And?”

“And I'm not positive,” John said, sighing in relief. “I'm not positive.”

“Oh, Johnny, that is wonderful news,” Bobby murmured, pressing a kiss to his head.

“Definitely,” Jubilee said. “It must be such a relief.”

“It is,” John said, taking a deep breath. “All of the fear is just gone and I feel like I can breathe again.”

“Good, Johnny,” Bobby said. “That's really good.”

“Thank you for making me do this,” John said quietly. “I never would have done it otherwise and I would have just lived with this fear for the rest of my life.”

“I would have fucking dragged you into a clinic before I'd let that happen and you know it,” Jubilee said. “You would not have gone your whole life without knowing the answer to that question.”

“I know,” John mumbled. “I know.”

Bobby pulled John up and kissed him deeply. “I need to get back to work. But I am so happy about this and I plan to show you how happy I am once I get off work and we get home.”

“We're supposed to be having dinner first,” John pointed out.

“Then we will eat the fastest dinner in the history of the world,” Bobby said. “I need to be spread out and writhing beneath you soon, Johnny.”

“Fuck, I hate you right now,” John groaned. “You know exactly what you just did to me and I fucking hate you for it.”

Bobby just smirked and pushed at John. “Stand up so I can get out of here and get back to work.”

“Fine, you lousy motherfucker,” John said, standing up and reaching for Bobby's hand. “But I am getting revenge for this tonight.”

Bobby laughed. “I love it when you get revenge. Why do you think I do this?”

John just shoved him towards Piotr. “Get to fucking work.”

Jubilee was smiling when John sat back down and he just shook his head. “What?”

“I was just thinking about that night I got Charles to hire Bobby and how Theresa and I talked all about my first night with you know who. Bobby was so resistant to admit that he even got fucked, let alone spill details about it, and now he's like this. I'm so proud of him.”

John laughed. “Yeah, I'm enjoying this so much more now that he's officially out of the closet and just comfortable with himself. I'm still waiting for him to break though.”

“He hasn't yet?”

“Nope. I'm trying to be prepared for it but I don't know a fucking thing about taking care of someone in a situation like that.”

“Just love him, John. Let him cry on your shoulder and let him realize that you're going to be there for him no matter what. Let him realize that letting his parents find out was the right thing to do and that it was worth it,” Jubilee said. “Because it was worth it. It's not just you that makes it worth it. It's about being able to be himself. He's never been able to just be himself. And he's so much happier now that he is. You just need to remind him of that. I know that you will. And tell him that you love him. That will help a lot.”

“I am not telling him that I love him when I have no idea if I actually do or not.”

“Oh for fuck's sake, Johnny, it's obvious to fucking everyone that you two love each other. You just need to have a conversation and tell each other that.”

“We know we need to have that conversation. But I can't put it into words yet, Jubes. I just can't.”

Jubilee rolled her eyes. “I get that you've never done this before, but what you're saying is absolute bullshit. Figure it the fuck out and tell him already. If you think you're happy now, just wait until you tell each other that. It'll take it to another level and you'll be happier than you ever were before.”

“I'll think about it,” John said, picking up his fork. “I think Piotr was right. The food is actually going to be cold now.”

“Flag Theresa down and ask her to reheat it then. Tell her why it's cold and I'm sure she'll have no problem with it.”

“I am not announcing to the entire family that I'm not positive.”

“Yes, you are, because everyone has been worried that you were,” Jubilee said seriously. “And even if you don't do it yourself, I'm making sure that everyone knows. It's important, John. It's really, really important.”

“Fine,” John said, looking around for Theresa. “But I'm not happy about this.”

“Johnny, when are you ever happy about anything but Bobby?” Jubilee asked, laughing. “Come on, you know I'm right.”

“Shut the fuck up.”


	16. Chapter 16

John was just reaching for his wallet and keys when there was a knock at the door. Shaking his head, he walked over to it. He figured it was a delivery man of some sort because Jubilee had been ordering a bunch of shit online lately, so John turned the locks but left the chain, cracking the door open and ready to sign for the package. But the man standing there was not a delivery man, and he looked a lot like Bobby, and John was instantly confused. “Um, hello?”

“Please tell me that Bobby Drake hasn't moved,” the man said. “I only know of this address.”

“No, Bobby hasn't moved,” John said. “Who are you?”

“My name is Ronny,” the man said. “I'm Bobby's brother. And I really need to talk to him.”

“I don't think you should be here,” John said, venom in his voice. “He's already heard enough bullshit from your family.”

“He heard it from my motherfucking asshole parents,” Ronny said. “He didn't hear it from me. And he's not going to. I could not fucking care less that he's gay. I just want my brother in my life.”

John stared at him for a moment before closing the door, taking a deep breath before unhooking the chain and pulling the door wide open. “Come in.”

Ronny smiled at him and walked inside, and John noticed he had a suitcase in his hand. “Thank you. Do you mind me asking who you are? Last I knew Marie was Bobby's roommate.”

“Marie moved out a month ago,” John said, closing the door. “Jubilee and I moved in.”

Ronny turned and looked at John. “How do three of you live in a two-bedroom apartment?”

“Jubilee has her own room and Bobby and I sleep in the other,” John said, trying to remain calm as he waited for the reaction.

“So you're Bobby's boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

Ronny broke out into a huge smile. “Oh good. I was afraid he was all alone after my motherfucking parents kicked him out. I was so mad when I got back to the house and he was gone. I wanted to find him but I had no idea how. He didn't answer any of my texts or calls. It was so frustrating.”

“You really don't care?” John asked, leaning up against the door.

“No, I don't,” Ronny said, setting his suitcase by the sofa. “I just want him to be happy. I assume you make him happy.”

“I try to,” John said, taking another deep breath.

“I'm sorry, I haven't asked for your name yet, have I?” Ronny shook his head. “Pardon me for that. What is your name?”

“John,” he said. “My name is John.”

A look of recognition crossed Ronny's face. “You're the one he was having phone sex with?”

“That's me.”

“Then I'm really glad to hear that my parents' reaction didn't push you away. I was worried that it would if the John I was told about was just a fling that Bobby was having.”

“It started as one but it's grown into more. We're both very happy about that.”

“Good,” Ronny said, looking around. “Where is Bobby?”

“Bobby is at work,” John said. “I was actually about to head there and have dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“It's a restaurant,” John said.

“Oh, my parents said he was working as a whore,” Ronny said. “I had no idea what he was actually doing because I know Bobby would never do that.”

“Your parents are motherfucking assholes and they destroyed him and I'm just waiting for him to break. He hasn't yet.”

“Trust me, I know my parents are dicks. I've wanted away from them for forever. But I'm done with college now and I tried staying in Boston and it just didn't fucking work. So I've been applying for jobs here for a while, finally got one, and here I am. I don't have a place to live yet, so I was hoping Bobby would let me crash on the sofa for a while until I get one.”

John took a deep breath and made a decision. “That's fine, Ronny. You can stay on the sofa for as long as you want, provided that Bobby wants to see you. If he doesn't, you're gone.”

“I can agree to that,” Ronny said. “Do you mind me tagging along with you to this restaurant? Maybe you can tell me a little more about what is going on with my brother? I really would like to know.”

“Sure,” John said, hoping that Bobby wouldn't kill him for this. “Let me grab my stuff and we can go.”

**********

Bobby looked up when the door opened and immediately dropped the glass he was holding. The entire restaurant turned and looked at him, but Bobby's eyes were glued on John. Well, not really John, but the man standing next to him. Why on earth was John walking into the restaurant with his brother?

Theresa walked up to him and put a hand on his arm. “Bobby, what's wrong?”

“My brother,” Bobby managed to say, and Theresa followed his gaze to where John and Ronny were standing. 

“Alright, what do you want to have happen?” Theresa said softly. “Because I can have Piotr throw him out immediately.”

“No,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “He came in with John. He's obviously here for a reason. But you could go get John for me. I need to know why he's here.”

“Then I will do that, sweetheart,” Theresa said, looking around for the bus boy before motioning to the shattered glass and spilled soda. “I'll get someone to clean this up, okay? Don't move.”

Bobby just nodded as Theresa made her way across the room, and a moment later she was returning to him with John next to her. They walked around where the bus boy was cleaning up the shattered glass and spilled soda, and the moment John could touch him, he pulled Bobby into his arms and kissed him softly.

“It's okay, baby.”

“Why is he here?” Bobby murmured.

“Look, since you were here and not at the apartment, I just went with the situation and made some decisions, and you totally cannot get mad at me for any of it, okay? I didn't know what to do,” John said.

“Can you please just get to why he's here?” Bobby said, staring at John. “Because I really need to know why he's here.”

“He showed up at the apartment and started going on about how your parents are motherfucking assholes so I let him in. He wants to talk to you, baby. He wants to be part of your life. He doesn't care if you're gay. He said he really doesn't. He has nowhere to stay so he's going to sleep on the sofa,” John said softly. “He was incredibly nice to me, very happy to find out that you have a boyfriend because he was worried you were alone. He seems genuine, baby. So I brought him here so he could see you. If he goes into some sort of homophobic rant here, he'll have a couple of broken bones in a heartbeat. The queens here do not take that shit well.”

Bobby just nodded as the bus boy finished, and Theresa peered at him questioningly. “You okay enough that I can go back to work? Or do I need to call Jubes and get her down here?”

“I think you can go back to work,” Bobby said. “Jubes should be here soon so don't call her. She was supposed to be having dinner with John.”

“Alright, girl. Just remember you're not alone, okay? You are so not alone.”

Bobby nodded and John pulled him into another kiss as Theresa walked away. “You ready to go over there or do I need to kiss you some more?”

Bobby sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “I'll go over there. After one more kiss.”

John smiled at him and kissed him deeply. “You can do this, baby. I'll be right next to you.”

Bobby nodded and took John by the hand, and they walked over to where Ronny was standing. As soon as they were close enough, Ronny stepped forward and threw his arms around Bobby, and Bobby froze in the embrace. Ronny took a deep breath as he realized that Bobby wasn't hugging him back, so he pulled back and said what he'd come all the way to New York to say. 

"Mom and Dad can fuck off. I love you the way you are."

Bobby softened a little. “Really?”

“I wasn't there when they flew off into their homophobic rants,” Ronny pointed out. “I never would have said that shit to you because I don't believe it. I think you're fine the way you are. I think you're perfect the way you are, actually. I love you. You're still my brother, gay or not. I'm really looking forward to finding out about your life here. And I'd really love to be a part of it.”

Bobby swallowed hard and realized a tear was streaming down his cheek. “I thought you hated me.”

“Never,” Ronny said, getting a good look at him. “You're wearing eyeliner.”

“Yes, I am,” Bobby said defensively.

“It looks good on you. Brings out your eyes.”

Bobby laughed. “You're seriously telling me that?”

“What? It's the truth!” Ronny turned to John. “You think it looks good, don't you?”

“I think it's incredibly sexy,” John said, wrapping an arm around Bobby's waist and reaching up to wipe away the tears. “Oh, baby, it's okay. It's all okay.”

Bobby went into John's arms and buried his face in his neck, letting the tears flow. “I thought I'd lost him.”

“I know, baby, but you haven't,” John murmured, running his hands down Bobby's back. “He's right here telling you that you haven't.”

“Bobby!” came Piotr's voice, and Bobby pulled back, wiping at his face to get the tears to go away. 

“I have to get back to work,” Bobby said quickly. “Sit with him or something. Don't let him leave.”

“I won't, I promise,” John said, giving him one last kiss before Bobby walked away. “So, a table?”

Ronny just nodded. “Lead on.”

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant talking away on her phone, happy that she managed to get her father to talk for once. She spotted John in a booth and walked over to it, sitting down on the bench without even registering that she'd sat down next to someone. She ended the call and turned to John, and John just gave her a bemused look. “What? I was talking to my father finally.”

“You didn't even notice him, did you?”

Jubilee looked to her left and nearly fell out of the booth. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Jubilee, this is Bobby's brother Ronny. Ronny, this is Jubilee. She's our roommate and my best friend.”

“It's nice to meet you. I've been looking forward to meeting you ever since John said you were Bobby's roommate,” Ronny said, smiling at her.

Jubilee turned to John and gave him a look. “Explain. Now.”

“He showed up at the apartment, he's not a lousy motherfucker like his parents, and he wants to be a part of Bobby's life. So I brought him here to see Bobby.”

“And how did Bobby react to that, you fucking moron?” Jubilee asked firmly.

John just rolled his eyes. “He dropped a glass and broke it, came over and listened to what Ronny said, cried in my arms before telling me not to let Ronny leave, and then he went back to work.”

Jubilee sat there for a moment. “He cried?”

“Yes,” John said. “He'd thought he'd lost his brother and his brother showed up and told him he hadn't. I can totally understand why that brought him to tears.”

“I didn't mean to make him cry,” Ronny said, drawing her attention back to him. “I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him that I love him no matter what.”

Jubilee gave Ronny a stern look. “If you fuck with him, if you fly off into a homophobic rant, if you do anything to hurt him, I will murder you. And I am fucking serious about that.”

Ronny just nodded. “I won't do that. I don't want to do any of that. I just want my brother to be happy and in my life. From what John has said, it sounds like he's happy. And that's all I want for him. It really is.”

“Okay,” Jubilee said, taking a deep breath. “Then let's all have dinner together.”

John smiled at her. “Alright. So, you said you were talking to your father?”

“Yeah, I was,” Jubilee said, leaning back against the bench. “He seemed happy to talk to me for once, but he did his whole 'I should move back to Los Angeles' thing. He was not happy to hear that I was in a relationship, which is weird because I didn't even tell him about the relationship I'm actually in, which I know will totally freak my parents out. I mean, my father struggles enough with the fact that I'm a lesbian. He'd flip out if he knew about this.”

Jubilee paused and looked over at Ronny. “I have an interesting relationship with two other people and that's all I care to say about it. No one knows about it and I'd like to keep it that way.”

“I won't say a word,” Ronny said, smiling when Bobby approached the table. “Hi, Bobby.”

“Gorgeous, how are you?” Jubilee said, motioning for him to sit down next to John. “Talk with me for a minute.”

“We're really busy, Jubes, so I need your order as well.”

“That's fine,” Jubilee said, thinking for a moment. “Fettuccine with Alfredo sauce, put chicken on it, and bring me Parmesan to go with it. I'll put it on myself.”

Bobby wrote all that down before turning to John. “You?”

“I'll have what I always have,” John said, pressing a kiss to Bobby's temple.

Bobby looked up at Ronny after a moment. “I guess you need a menu. You don't know what's on it.”

“You have a cheeseburger and fries on it? 'Cause I'll take that if you do.”

“Yes, we do,” Bobby said, writing it down before looking up at Jubilee. “You have about a minute to grill me.”

“I just want to know how you're doing, gorgeous. I imagine this was a pretty big shock.”

Bobby nodded as John tangled their hands together beneath the table. “You could say that. But it's a good one if he's genuine. I haven't been able to talk to him long enough to find out if he is.”

“Then I'll figure that out for you while you finish your shift,” Jubilee said, smiling at him. “He'll be kicked out on his ass if he's not.”

“I am,” Ronny said. “And I understand it might be a while before I convince everyone of that, but it's the truth.”

“I think we all just need to give him a chance,” John said. “And since he's staying at the apartment, we'll have an opportunity to give him one.”

“He's staying at the apartment?” Jubilee questioned.

“He'll be sleeping on the sofa until he can find a place to live,” John said. “I made that decision when he showed up at the apartment earlier.”

“And you didn't even think to ask Bobby first?” Jubilee asked angrily.

“Chill, woman. I told him that if Bobby didn't want to see him then he couldn't.”

“It's alright,” Ronny said. “If Bobby doesn't want me there then I'll find a hotel. Somewhere I can afford. Not entirely sure there will be a place like that because I don't really have a lot of money until I start my new job next week, and then I have to wait two weeks for my first paycheck. I'll figure it out somehow.”

“You are staying at the apartment,” Bobby said firmly. “And then tonight you are going to explain to me how you suddenly have a job in New York City when you are supposed to be in Boston. I thought this was a quick trip up here, but apparently, it isn't.”

“Bobby!” came Piotr's voice. 

“I have to get back to work,” Bobby said, standing up. “But I will put your order in so food should be out soon.”

“Thanks gorgeous!” Jubilee called out as Bobby walked away. 

“You call him gorgeous a lot?” Ronny asked.

“Of course. He's gorgeous and he needs to be reminded of that,” Jubilee said defensively. “Everyone around here has a term of endearment of some sort. John calls Bobby baby all the time. Theresa will call everyone girl or sweetheart, probably even you eventually if Bobby says you're really genuine. So fucking deal with it.”

“I'm not trying to make fun of it,” Ronny said, holding up his hands. “I was just curious. I have nothing wrong with terms of endearment. I mean, my father used to call me junior all the time despite the fact that I'm not actually his junior. I get it. It's fine.”

“How are your parents taking this move to New York and you seeking out Bobby?” John asked.

“Oh, they took it fantastically,” Ronny said, rolling his eyes. “There was so much motherfucking bullshit that they said about why I needed to stay in Boston and then when I mentioned Bobby they flew off into a homophobic rant about how I was clearly one of those devil creatures too, and when I tried to tell them that I am very much straight, they didn't listen. So I was kicked out just like Bobby was, and when they told me to never come home again, I was very glad to do that. 

“I motherfucking hate my parents. I hated them before they did what they did to Bobby and I hated them even more after it. They think they are perfect but they're really two of the most awful people you'll ever meet in your life. Before the gay thing, they used to treat Bobby like he was the golden child and I was the bastard that sort of lived there too. I was never important until they kicked Bobby out and suddenly I was the family's great hope. I hope they fucking burn in hell for the way they've treated both of us.”

Jubilee and John sat there processing all of that for a moment, and then Jubilee reached out and pulled Ronny into a hug. “Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.”

“It's alright,” Ronny said. “I've already broken down and processed it all with some friends back in Boston.”

Jubilee let go of him and John smiled at him from across the table. “You need to tell Bobby all of that.”

“I will,” Ronny said, taking a deep breath. “You'd think it wouldn't be so hard to talk about because I wanted them out of my life anyway, but it is. It's easier ever since I processed everything with my friends, but it's still hard.”

“I know what you mean,” John said softly. “I still can't talk about my parents in depth without crying, and that happened eight years ago.”

Ronny nodded. “I'm sorry you had to go through whatever you went through. I'm sorry anyone has to go through that. I imagine there are a lot of people here who have.”

“There are,” Jubilee agreed. “And I'm looking forward to introducing you to them. You'll be part of the family in no time.”

“The family?”

“Our group of friends is more than just friends,” John said. “For some of us, this is the only family we have left. Charles and Erik have become our parents and everyone else is our siblings. You'll learn to understand.”

“I'm not sure that I belong in a gay family,” Ronny said.

“Then you're in luck because we accept everyone,” Jubilee said. “There's a few heteros like yourself in the midst of this family of homos.”

“Alright then,” Ronny said, sitting back in his seat. “I think all of this will take some getting used to though.”

“That's alright, honey,” Jubilee said. “Once Bobby tells everyone you're cool then no one will give you shit and that will be all that matters. Everyone will know that this is a learning process with you, just like how it was a learning process with Bobby. He had absolutely no idea of how to be a homo when he walked into the club that night. But he met John and everything has just gone great since then.”

John just rolled his eyes. “I wouldn't call everything he's gone through great, Jubes.”

“Things like what happened with Marie and his parents? No. Things around here? Yes. He's so much more confident than he was when he walked in here and you know it.”

“Yes, I know he is, but still, not everything has been great.”

“Whatever. I'm right, you're just refusing to admit it. Just like you're refusing to admit that you're in love with him.”

Ronny's brow furrowed. “You haven't told him you love him? I've been with you for all of a couple of hours and I can tell that you two love each other.”

John sighed heavily. “Look, I know how I feel, okay? But I've never done this before so I'm not entirely sure how to express it in words. I will figure it out and I will tell him. It's not like he's ready to tell me how he feels. We will have that conversation eventually.”

“You should have it sooner rather than later,” Jubilee said seriously. “I don't want you to lose the best thing that's ever happened to you.”

“I won't,” John said firmly. “I know what I'm doing.”

“John, you've never been in a relationship before. You have no idea what you're doing.”

Ronny gave him a strange look. “You've never been in a relationship before? How old are you?”

“I'm twenty-five and no, I haven't. It's a long and complicated backstory but basically, your brother is the first man that's ever been worth there being more than a night. He was supposed to be a one-night stand but it grew into more and now we're here. And that's all I'm going to say about that. If Bobby tells you more, then he tells you more. But I really don't want to talk about it.”

“That's fine,” Ronny said quickly. “I don't want to pressure anyone into telling me more than they want to. Not even Bobby.”

John nodded. “Good, because that will help a lot in your conversation with Bobby. I have no idea how he's going to react to what you've got to say because he still hasn't broken over what your parents did to him. I keep waiting for it to happen but it hasn't.”

Ronny looked over at where Bobby was at another table before sighing. “He's trying to hold it all in like he did when we were kids. My grandmother said something stupid to him about how his emotions were screaming and begging to be let out but that a good person holds them in and tames them. It's such bullshit.”

“He's told me part of that before,” John murmured. “No wonder he doesn't want to break.”

“Something will get him to. I don't know what, but something will do it. It always did when we were kids. I can't imagine it will be too different now that we're adults.”

Jubilee glanced over at Bobby for a second. “Ronny, I think you're going to be a great support for your brother. I think it's something that Bobby desperately needs too. The family is fine but it's not his real family. You're part of his real family and the fact that you're here will mean a lot to him. I know it will.”

Ronny smiled at her. “I hope so. I need my brother as much as you say he needs me. I'm completely starting over here and I know absolutely no one but him and now the two of you. If he says he doesn't want anything to do with me, then I'm going to be one lonely guy for a while.”

“He's not going to reject you,” John said sincerely. “Not if you tell him what your parents did to you. He'll realize that you aren't them because if you were they never would have done that.”

“Thanks,” Ronny said. “But I think I'll keep my expectations in check before I talk to him. I really will understand if he kicks me out on my ass too.”

“I won't let that happen,” Jubilee said. “And John's right. He'll understand what you're going through because it happened to him too. Different reason, sure. But it happened to both of you.”

“Okay, I'll trust you on that one,” Ronny said. “I hope you're right.”

“We are, honey,” Jubilee said. “We are.”


	17. Chapter 17

Bobby was at a table talking to a customer when the door opened behind him, and he went to greet the person who'd entered the restaurant when he heard Lorna scream. He turned to see her duck down behind the counter, and Bobby looked towards Theresa to see fury on her face and wondered what it was he was missing. 

Then Theresa said a name and it all clicked into place.

“Alex!” Theresa exclaimed, and before Alex could take another step, Piotr was in his face.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here,” Piotr said. “A lot of fucking nerve.”

“I came to see my fiancée,” Alex said, not affected by Piotr's intimidation at all. “So get out of my way and let me talk to her.”

“Not a fucking chance,” Piotr said. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“It's a public place, Piotr. Only the owner can kick me out and I don't see Charles anywhere.”

Bobby walked over to Theresa and bent down to whisper in her ear. “Lorna's behind the counter. We've got to get her out of here.”

Theresa nodded. “Wanda's office is unlocked. I'll help Piotr deal with Alex.”

Bobby walked around the counter as Theresa walked towards Piotr and Alex, and he crouched down next to Lorna. She was shaking and crying and Bobby immediately knew there was more to the story of her and Alex then she had ever let on. “Lorna? Let's go to Wanda's office, okay? Piotr and Theresa are going to get him to leave.”

Lorna looked up at Bobby and stared at him for a moment before nodding, and then Bobby helped her up off the floor and wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her into the hallway and down to Wanda's office. As soon as he shut the door behind them, Lorna's crying turned into sobs and Bobby walked towards her and wrapped her up in his arms. “It's okay, Lorna. It's okay.”

“I can't be around him,” she managed to get out. “I just can't.”

“That's fine. We'll keep him away from you.”

“I can't tell you what happened. I can't tell anyone what happened.”

“It's okay,” Bobby murmured. “It's all going to be okay.”

“My father would kill me if he knew. He'd kill Alex too,” Lorna sobbed. “I just can't tell anyone.”

“You don't have to tell anyone,” Bobby soothed. “You don't.”

Bobby stood there while Lorna sobbed against his shoulder for a long time, running a hand up and down her back in an attempt to calm her. He had absolutely no idea how to handle this. He'd never been in a situation where he had to deal with a crying woman before, let alone a crying pregnant woman, and he really hoped that someone would come and help because he clearly wasn't helping Lorna at all.

And then the door opened and John walked in.

Bobby sighed with relief when he saw him, and John took one look at the situation before closing the door and walking over to them. “Lorna?”

Lorna lifted her head and looked at John, giving him a shaky smile. “Johnny.”

“Come here, sweetheart,” John said, holding out his arms and smiling when Lorna went into his embrace. “It's alright. You're going to be alright.”

“Johnny, I can't see him,” Lorna said, laying her head on his shoulder, tears still streaming down her face. “I can never see him again.”

“You want to tell me why?” 

“I can't,” Lorna murmured. “I just can't.”

“Sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything, right?” John said, running a hand down her back. “You've always been able to tell me anything.”

“I know, Johnny, I know. But I can't talk about this. My father would kill me.”

John stood there and looked over at Bobby as Lorna buried her face in his neck. “What happened?”

“Alex showed up, she screamed and ducked behind the counter, Piotr and Theresa went to deal with Alex while I brought her back here. I don't know anything beyond that.”

“Well, Piotr and Theresa must have gotten him to leave because he wasn't there when I came in,” John said. “Did you hear that, Lorna? He's gone.”

Lorna shuddered in his arms. “He'll come back. He'll come back and try again. He's relentless.”

“Why would he try again, sweetheart? Why is he relentless?”

“You guys already know that he's the father so I should stop trying to hide that. But that's not why he's after me. He feels like I'm a possession of his that he can do whatever he wants with. He just wants to collect me again.”

Something in the way Lorna said that made John pause. “What did he do to you, Lorna?”

“I can't,” Lorna said, sobbing again. “I can't.”

John held her closer. “You need to, sweetheart. You need to tell us.”

“Johnny, no. I can't.”

“Lorna, listen to me. You need to tell me what happened. I don't care what it was. You need to tell me,” John said firmly. Lorna stayed silent so John realized he was going to have to ask questions to get the answer. “Did he rape you?”

“No!” Lorna exclaimed. “He didn't. I swear.”

“But he hurt you?” When Lorna stayed silent, John knew he was on the right track. “How did he hurt you, Lorna?”

“I can't,” Lorna whispered. “If he finds out I told someone, he'll kill me.”

“Lorna, we are going to make sure he gets nowhere near you ever again, okay?” John said, bending down to press a kiss to her head. “But you need to tell me how he hurt you.”

Lorna took in a few shuddering breaths before swallowing hard. “It started right after we got to Chicago. A slap here, a punch there. He was so fucked up all the time that I thought it was just anger coming out from that. But when he was sober, he was so nice and kind and apologetic and he swore it would never happen again. But of course, it did. Then it started happening when he was sober. I had to start telling people I was a really bad kickboxer to get them to stop questioning it.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” John murmured, pulling her closer.

“It got worse after I told him I was pregnant. I didn't come home for Christmas because I still had bruises from the last time he'd used me as a punching bag and Dad would have fucking flipped if he'd seen me. Alex went off on some sort of drug binge and I took my chance to run. I left him a note telling him I was at a specific place in Chicago that he knew I escaped to when he got to be too much and came home. I knew he'd find me eventually but I hoped he would be too fucked up to actually do it.”

John and Bobby stared at each other as Lorna started to cry again. “Baby, is Charles here?”

“No, he trusted Piotr to run things tonight,” Bobby said. “Do we need to call him?”

“No,” Lorna got out. “I can't tell them.”

“Sweetheart, you have to tell them,” John said softly. “And if you don't, I will.”

“Johnny, no,” Lorna sobbed. “Please don't.”

“Lorna, they need to know what happened. They deserve to know what happened to their baby girl. That way they can make sure that Alex never gets near you again.”

“John's right, Lorna,” Bobby said. “They need to know.”

The door to the office opened then and Wanda walked in. She took one look at them and walked straight over to John, pulling Lorna from his arms and wrapping hers around her. “Tell me what is going on. Now.”

“I can't,” Lorna said quietly.

“Tell her or I tell her,” John said seriously. “Your family needs to know what happened.”

“Johnny.”

“I'm fucking serious, Lorna. This is fucking important.”

Lorna swallowed hard. “Fine. But alone.”

John nodded and grabbed Bobby by the hand. “We'll leave then. But I'm serious, sweetheart. If you don't tell her everything you told me, I'll tell her myself.”

John pulled Bobby out of the office and closed the door, and the moment it was closed, his arms went around Bobby and he buried his face in his neck. Bobby's arms went around John's waist and tightened when he felt the wetness on his skin, letting his head rest against John's.

“I love her so much,” John murmured. “And I hate the fact that she's gone through this.”

“I know, Johnny. I know. I hate it too.”

John pulled back after a few moments and wiped at his eyes, shaking his head. “Erik's going to kill Alex. Like actually murder him.”

“Charles will keep him from doing that.”

“I'm not so sure about that,” John said, taking a deep breath. “I need distraction tonight and you're going to give it to me.”

“I can do that, Johnny. I can definitely do that,” Bobby said. “But I need to finish work first.”

John nodded. “I'm going to eat here. I need this distraction sooner rather than later. I'll make our dinner date up to you.”

“That's fine,” Bobby said, taking him by the hand and pulling him towards the dining room. “You want the same thing as always? I'll have the kitchen make it.”

John stopped him at the door, pulling Bobby close and kissing him deeply. “Thank you for helping her.”

“I don't think I did very much,” Bobby said. “I just held her while she cried.”

“That helped her, believe me,” John said, kissing him again. “And yes, I'll take the same thing as always.”

“Okay,” Bobby said, starting to walk away only for John to pull him back. “What?”

“I just want you to know that I would never, ever, ever do that to you. Not in a gazillion years.”

Bobby leaned in and kissed him softly. “I know, Johnny. And I'd never do that to you either. Ever.”

John was overwhelmed with a swell of emotion and he let a smile cross his face. “I adore you, just so you know.”

Bobby broke out into a grin. “I adore you too. Now go sit down and I'll get you your food.”

John watched him walk into the kitchen before heading out to sit at a table, all the while thinking about how he finally knew how he felt about Bobby. It was definitely, definitely love.

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant and immediately spotted John, heading over to the booth he was in and sitting down on the same bench. “Kurt called me. I want to fucking kill Alex Summers.”

“I think Erik will beat you to it,” John said, turning to face her. 

Jubilee took one look at his eyes before pulling John into her arms. “Oh, Johnny.”

“I should have known when she hooked up with Alex that it would end in nothing but trouble,” John murmured, burying his face in her neck. “I should have talked to her about it, told her that she was just setting herself up for something that would go wildly out of control. But I was too fucking self-absorbed to even think of calling her, let alone having that conversation. I feel like I failed her, Jubes.”

“You didn't fail her, honey,” Jubilee said seriously. “Don't you ever think that. Even if you'd had that conversation, that doesn't mean she would have listened to you.”

“I know you're right, I really do, but...”

“But you can't think rationally at the moment because you want to track Alex down and kill him just as much as the rest of us,” Jubilee finished. “Johnny, you cannot dwell on this. Lorna needs you not to dwell on it.”

“It's not the only thing on my mind at the moment,” John said, sitting up. “I need to talk to you about it but I can't do it in here. I don't want him to overhear.”

Jubilee gave him a concerned look. “I thought everything was fine between you two.”

“It is,” John said firmly. “I just don't want him to hear this for the first time by overhearing me telling you about it. He deserves to hear it straight from me.”

“I am thoroughly confused now, but if you want, you can come into the club with me. I've got to set up the bar alone tonight because Kurt isn't going to be getting here until right before the open. He's currently talking Peter out of going hunting for Alex.”

“Something tells me the only way that's going to be successful is if he drags Peter into the club,” John said, shaking his head. “So you might want to be prepared for having him behind the bar tonight.”

“Ugh, I hadn't even thought about that,” Jubilee said, standing up. “I hate it when that happens.”

“At least they're finally acknowledging that they're fucking,” John said, standing up as well. “Though in some ways that is worse.”

“Yeah, well, you're not the one who is going to be stuck watching them try to suffocate each other with their tongues,” Jubilee said, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, it's a miracle that Kurt gets any work done when Peter's there.”

“Hey Jubes,” Bobby said, walking up to them. “You want to order something?”

“Only if you can bring it into the club,” Jubilee said. “I've got a lot of work to do before we open tonight.”

“I'll make sure that happens,” Bobby said. “Usual?”

“Yeah,” Jubilee said. “John's going to come keep me company. I'll send him over here when the restaurant closes.”

“Alright,” Bobby said, leaning forward to kiss John carefully. “I'll see you then.”

John watched as Bobby turned and walked away. “Why did you basically just tell him to come to give you food in the club? I said I wanted to talk away from him.”

“I'll send Theresa a text and tell her that she absolutely has to be the one to bring me the food, and she will take care of the rest. She'll come up with some bullshit reason for it,” Jubilee said, walking towards the door. “Now come on, let's get in there. I'm super curious about what this is all so necessary for.”

John followed her out the door and into the club, settling himself in front of the bar as she ducked behind it. He watched as she started looking through bottles before swallowing hard. “I'm in love with him.”

Jubilee stopped and turned around, staring at John in shock. “Did you actually just say what I think you just said?”

“Yes, I did,” John said, taking a deep breath. “God, Jubes, I'm in love with him and it's freaking me out.”

Jubilee reached across the bar and took John's hands into hers. “Johnny, this is not something that should be freaking you out. This is a good thing.”

“This was supposed to be a one-night stand, Jubes. I tried to make it memorable for him and all I ended up doing was making it something important to me. It was never, ever supposed to turn into this.”

“But you're glad that it did. You've said that on a number of occasions.”

“I am glad that it did. I don't know what I'd do without him. But that terrifies me. I've gone from thinking that I could do this for a couple of months to actually actively hating the thought of there being life without him in it. When the fuck did I start thinking about forever with him? When?”

Jubilee just smiled at him. “I can't answer that. But what I can say is that I think it's a good thing that you're thinking that way. It might have taken you a while to realize it, but you've been in love with him for ages, honey. This really doesn't change anything.”

“It changes everything!” John exclaimed. “How can you possibly tell me this doesn't change anything?”

“You're still going to do absolutely everything you already do. Nothing will change. The only difference will be that you'll tell him that you love him every once and awhile. That's it.”

“I can't tell him this,” John said quickly. “I have absolutely no idea how he feels about me, he does not seem interested in having the conversation about how we feel about each other at all, and I just...I have no idea if he can love me back, Jubes. I'm not someone to fall in love with and he knows it.”

Jubilee squeezed his hands tightly. “Listen to me, John Allerdyce. Bobby is in love with you. He's been in love with you for a while. You two are just being typical men and refusing to discuss your feelings for each other. But you have to. You have to force the issue if necessary. And if he doesn't want to have the conversation, then just fucking tell him. He deserves to know as much as you deserve to say it.”

“I honestly don't think I can say it,” John said honestly. “Not to him.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Honestly.”

“Jubes, you don't understand,” John said seriously. “I can't tell him.”

“And that is fucking bullshit and you know it,” Jubilee said, looking up when Theresa came walking into the club with a tray. “Thank God it's you. Bobby can not overhear this conversation.”

“So you said,” Theresa murmured, setting the tray on the bar. “What's up?”

“No,” John said, shaking his head. “No fucking way am I saying this in front of her. The whole family will know in ten minutes.”

“And there's nothing wrong with that,” Jubilee stressed.

John just shook his head. “Not until I tell him myself. I'm not having him learn this because someone else tells him about it.”

Theresa gave them a strange look. “Is everything alright?”

“It's fine, darling,” Jubilee said. “John is just freaking out about something that's really a good thing.”

“If you say so,” Theresa said. “John, Piotr's letting Bobby go home early since we're dead and he dealt with Lorna earlier so he'll be ready to go in a few minutes. I've got to get back to work.”

“Thanks, Theresa,” John said as she walked away, turning to look at Jubilee. “There is absolutely no motherfucking way in hell I'm going to let you make me tell him. Absolutely fucking not.”

“I won't, but you do need to tell him,” Jubilee said, reaching for her plate. “And you need to do it sooner rather than later.”

“I will eventually,” John said, taking a deep breath. “But I'm not doing it until I know how he really feels about me. And I mean more than just this 'I care about you' bullshit. I need to know that it really does go beyond that and I need to hear it from him. Because if he doesn't and can't, it'll...it'll destroy me, Jubes.”

“I know, honey,” Jubilee said, reaching out and caressing the side of his face. “But John, listen to me, okay? That is an unwarranted fear. Bobby loves you, sweetheart. He's not going to give this up. He wants it just as much as you do.”

“You really think?” John asked, his voice entirely too vulnerable for his liking.

“Yes, honey. I do.” Jubilee looked over at the door when it opened, smiling as Bobby came walking in. “Hi there, gorgeous. Piotr's letting you go home early, hm?”

“Yeah, he is,” Bobby said, stopping next to John and giving him a kiss. “But I don't think John is going to like what I have to tell him.”

“What?” John asked, concerned.

“Ronny's at the apartment,” Bobby said, making John groan.

“You really need to get over this.”

“Excuse me for not wanting my little brother to listen to us fuck.”

“You promised me distraction tonight,” John said firmly. “And I am holding you to that promise.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “I know I did.”

“So you either figure out a way to get Ronny to leave or we're doing this anyway,” John said. “Because I am sick and tired of not being able to fuck you just because your brother is there.”

“You're the one who said he could sleep on the sofa,” Bobby pointed out.

“And you're the one who would have killed me if I hadn't,” John answered back.

“Boys, let me figure this out for you, alright?” Jubilee said, smiling at them. “Bobby, tell Ronny that you and John need to be alone for a little while. Suggest that he go out to a club and try to start meeting people. If he doesn't know of anywhere else to go, send him here and tell him to hang out at the bar with me. I'll keep guys from hitting on him and get him nice and drunk. Once he leaves, jump each other.”

John just looked over at Bobby and Bobby nodded. “Alright, I'll do that. Because you're right, we need to be alone for a while.”

“We need to be able to fuck whenever we goddamn please,” John muttered. “But this will be acceptable for tonight.”

“Then go enjoy, boys,” Jubilee said, turning back to her food. “I love you both.”

“Love you too, Jubes,” John said, reaching across the bar to give her a gentle kiss. “I'll see you in the morning.”

“Actually, you won't,” Jubilee said, unable to keep the grin off her face. “I'm going home with her tonight.”

“Then you enjoy too,” Bobby said, smiling at her.

John just shook his head and grabbed Bobby's hand. “I'm telling you, people are going to start figuring this out.”

“I know, Johnny boy. And we're working on how to deal with that.”

“You better be,” John said, pulling Bobby towards the door. “Come on, baby. I needed to have you spread out and writhing beneath me like an hour ago, so the moment you get your brother out of the apartment, I'm pinning you to the bed and having my way with you.”

Bobby just grinned. “I can agree to that, Johnny. I can definitely agree to that.”


	18. Chapter 18

“Hey Jubes!” Kurt yelled out from the other end of the bar. “Have you seen Bobby?”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “Bobby is at home probably fucking John right now. Why?”

“Because I've had my eyes on John out on the dance floor for the past ten minutes and I've yet to see Bobby.”

Jubilee's eyes immediately went to the dance floor. “That can't possibly be true.”

“Well, it is,” Kurt said, finishing up a drink and then making his way down to Jubilee's end of the bar. “And I wouldn't exactly call the way he's dancing with some of those guys something that one would be doing if they were living with their boyfriend.”

Jubilee's eyes finally found John among the crowd. “Fuck.”

“What do you think happened?”

“I have no idea and I have no time to find out because the rush is starting at any moment,” Jubilee said, slamming her hand down on the bar. “I will fucking kill him if he fucks this up.”

“We'll keep an eye on him,” Kurt said, heading back down to the other end of the bar. “We'll make sure he doesn't do something stupid.”

“I'm not sure we can do that,” Jubilee said, sucking in a deep breath before turning back to the customer in front of her. “Hiya sexy, what can I get you?”

Jubilee worked automatically for the next hour, keeping as close of an eye on John as she could. Whenever she got a break for a moment, she grabbed her phone and texted Bobby, asking what the fuck it was that was going on, but Bobby wasn't answering her and she was growing more exasperated by the second. She'd just finished making a vodka orange and the customer had walked away when, before she could tear her eyes away from the dance floor and greet the next customer, she heard the man speak.

“Please tell me John is here.”

Jubilee's eyes dropped to where Ronny was standing in front of the bar. “Yes, he is.”

“Thank God,” Ronny said, leaning up against the bar. “I didn't know any other place to search for him.”

“You have any idea what's going on?”

“Yes. My brother is a motherfucking idiot.”

Jubilee's eyes widened. “This is Bobby's fault?”

Ronny just nodded. “I don't know all of the details because I walked in on the end of the fight, but from what I got out of Bobby, it sounded like John wanted to have a conversation that Bobby was too scared to have.”

“Fucking hell,” Jubilee said, waving a customer down to Kurt's end of the bar and leaning up against it. “I told him that he needed to force the issue if Bobby wasn't ready to talk about it and I'm guessing that didn't go too well.”

“John hasn't done something stupid, has he? Bobby told me he had a bit of a reputation.”

Jubilee shook her head. “He hasn't been to the bar, probably because he knows that if he did and he wasn't with Bobby, Kurt and I would want to know why. As far as we can tell, he's just been out there dancing, if you want to call what he's doing dancing. It's basically fucking standing up and with clothes on.”

“What do you think would happen if I went out there and tried to get him to stop?”

“You would be hit on in ways that I don't think you know exist and I don't think John would listen to you,” Jubilee said. “He will listen to me, however, and I think it's calmed down enough that I can take a break.”

Jubilee turned to look at the other end of the bar and waved Kurt down. “Come here.”

Kurt walked down and paused when he saw Ronny standing there. “Why is he here?”

“To tell us what's going on with John and Bobby,” Jubilee said. “I'm taking a break and getting John off that dance floor. You talk to Ronny and get caught up to speed. I'll be back when I'm back.”

“Got it,” Kurt said as Jubilee walked to the end of the bar, ducking underneath it and heading towards the dance floor. 

She forced her way through the crowd until she was almost in the middle of the dance floor, and she walked up to John from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Whatever it is that happened, this is not worth it,” she said in his ear, and she felt John slump back against her.

The guy that John had been dancing with took one look at Jubilee before walking away, and Jubilee walked them out of the crowd and down to the end of the bar, shoving John up against the wall and getting in his face. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I'm dancing, Jubes.”

“If I didn't already know that this is Bobby's fault, I'd hit you just for even trying that excuse on me,” Jubilee said seriously. “What the fuck are you doing?”

John's head dropped. “I don't know. I honestly don't know.”

“Honey,” Jubilee said, tilting his head back up. “Tell me you didn't do something stupid.”

John just shook his head. “Had about nineteen million offers but I turned them all down. I could never do that to him.”

Jubilee breathed a sigh of relief. “That's good. That's really good. You're acting like an adult now. I'm proud of you.”

“Jubes, I don't know what to do,” John said, leaning his head back against the wall. “He doesn't love me. I can tell.”

“Johnny, you don't know what he does or does not feel,” Jubilee said, hugging him. “If he hasn't said he doesn't then you can't believe that he doesn't.”

“He doesn't even want to have the conversation,” John said as quietly as he could and still be heard over the music. “I tried to tell him that it was time to have the conversation and he blew it off like it was nothing. And I want to believe so badly that he feels the same way, but when he does shit like that...I don't want this to be my life again, Jubes. And yet I know that is what it would be if he left.”

“He's not going to leave,” Jubilee soothed. “And he will have that conversation with you eventually, even if I have to sit there and make it happen. You might be ready to tell him, honey, something which I'm very proud of you for attempting to do, but that doesn't mean he's ready to do the same.”

“Jubes...”

“No, I'm being serious. This isn't just your first time for all of this, John. It's his first time for all of this too. He's never been in love before either. And if you were terrified then I imagine he is as well. The difference is that you talked to me about it and I helped you back to reality. Bobby doesn't have anyone like that for him. And he won't talk to me about this stuff because he knows that you do.”

John sighed heavily. “I want to be patient with him, Jubes. I really want to be.”

“But you're impatient to hear him say it already because you want to shout it from the rooftops,” Jubilee finished. “I get it, trust me, I get it. But fighting about it isn't going to get you anywhere. And coming here and doing something stupid really isn't going to get you anywhere.”

“I didn't do anything,” John murmured. “So many guys asked me to fuck them and I didn't have any interest in it whatsoever. I wouldn't even let anyone kiss me.”

“Oh, Johnny. I really am so proud of how much you've finally grown up.”

“Yeah, well, I finally had a reason to,” John said, bending down to press a kiss to Jubilee's head. “I don't know what to do.”

“I think you should go home and makeup with him,” Jubilee said firmly. “Tell him that if he's not ready for the conversation then you will be patient. You can't force these things, John, no matter how much I told you to. That was some seriously bad advice and I'm sorry for it.”

“Don't apologize,” John said. “I probably would have done this whether you told me to do it or not. And I'm not going home. Not until I know he's asleep. I'm not ready to have the conversation about what it was I did tonight.”

“You didn't do anything,” Jubilee pointed out.

“I'm not sure he'll believe that,” John sighed. “I've tried so hard to not give him a reason to doubt me and then I came here tonight and did this.”

“If you're there in the morning he'll know that you didn't,” Jubilee said seriously. “And he'll know even more if you go home sooner rather than later.”

“What, um, what did he say when you talked to him?”

“I haven't talked to him,” Jubilee said, pulling back to look at him. “Ronny showed up hoping you were here and told us Bobby is an idiot.”

“Except for the fact that he's not,” John said, sighing again. “I need a drink.”

“Then come on, I'll make you one,” Jubilee said, pulling him towards the bar opening. “Come behind it with me.”

John just nodded and ducked underneath the bar with her, making his way down to where Kurt was talking to Ronny. “Hi.”

“Bobby's father is a lousy motherfucker,” Kurt declared before spotting a customer and walking down to the other end of the bar. 

John turned to Ronny and gave him a shaky smile. “What did you tell him?”

“What I know,” Ronny said, “which I get the feeling is probably more than you know.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jubilee asked.

“It means that Bobby's scared out of his fucking mind and instead of realizing that having this conversation is a good thing, he's terrified he's going to turn into our father,” Ronny said, shaking his head. “My father is an emotionally abusive son of a bitch and he did that to Bobby more than anyone else. I know Bobby is afraid that is the only way he knows how to love and I just know he's trying to protect you from that by denying what it is he's feeling. So when you told him you wanted to have that conversation, he freaked out because he doesn't want to hurt you the way our father hurt him.”

“I have never wanted to kill anyone the way I want to kill your parents. They're out of his life and yet they're still destroying it,” Jubilee said, tugging at John's hand. “What do you want to drink, honey?”

“Vodka. Large quantities of vodka.”

“I'll make you a shot but that's it. Then you're going home and talking to Bobby.”

John slumped against the bar and looked at Ronny. “He really thinks he's going to be emotionally abusive to me?”

“I think he probably thinks that he's already started being like that,” Ronny said, leaning closer to John. “He feels like he's forced you into that conversation because he constantly wants to know how you feel. He told me that he feels like he forced you into this relationship to begin with.”

“Fuck,” John said, shaking his head. “He hasn't forced me into anything. Absolutely nothing.”

“And that is something you need to tell him,” Jubilee said, pressing a shot glass into John's hand. “Drink and then go home.”

“I'll find somewhere else to stay tonight,” Ronny said quickly. “It'll be just you and Bobby.”

John knocked the shot back and took a deep breath. “I can't tell him. I can't.”

“John, honestly,” Jubilee said, pulling the glass from his hand. “You were ready to tell him a few hours ago.”

“That was before I knew he thought he'd forced me into all of this,” John said firmly. “That needs to be corrected before anything else is ever said.”

“Then go home and correct it,” Jubilee said, shaking her head when John reached for the bottle of vodka. “Absolutely not. You need to be sober for this.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don't,” Jubilee said, batting his hand away from the bottle. “Go home, John.”

“Fine,” John said, taking a deep breath. “But if he asks you about what I did tonight...”

“I'll tell him that you did a lot of dancing and that's it because that is what you did.” Jubilee smiled at him. “Go on, take Ronny and get out of here. That'll be enough to get the queens talking as it is. I'll spread the word that he's Bobby's brother.”

John gave Jubilee a hug and pressed a kiss to her hair. “I love you, Jubes.”

“I love you too. Quit fucking stalling. Go the fuck home already.”

John nodded and walked down to the bar's opening, ducking underneath it before walking up to Ronny. “Ready?”

“I think I should be asking you that question,” Ronny said, nodding. “I'm serious about finding somewhere else to stay tonight.”

John took another deep breath as they walked towards the door. “I think that might be a good idea.”

“Then consider it done.”

**********

All the lights were off when John got back to the apartment, and he tossed his wallet and keys on the table before running his hands through his hair. He swallowed hard before heading to the room he shared with Bobby, carefully opening the door. Bobby was in the middle of the bed, laying on his side and seemingly sound asleep, though John knew better than that. John stood there for a moment before toeing off his shoes and crawling onto the bed. He curled himself around Bobby's back, putting an arm around his waist and holding him as close as he possibly could.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you try to talk if you weren't ready to talk, I shouldn't have gotten so angry when you didn't want to talk, and I shouldn't have left. I'm so, so sorry.”

“You smell like the club,” Bobby eventually said. “I should have known that's where you'd go.”

“I just danced,” John said softly. “I didn't do anything other than that.”

“You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe that.”

John let his eyes close as he took a deep breath. “I would never do that to you. I had about twelve gazillion offers but I turned them all down. I didn't even let anyone kiss me.”

“You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe that either.”

John swallowed hard. “I thought you trusted me.”

“I thought I meant more to you than that too.”

“You mean everything to me,” John said firmly. “Don't ever think you don't.”

“Don't lie to me.”

“I'm not,” John said. “I wouldn't have wanted to have that conversation tonight if you didn't.”

They laid in silence for a while before Bobby spoke again. “There are a lot of reasons why I'm not ready to have that conversation. I just thought that I'd resolve them long before you ever wanted to have it.”

“It's okay, baby. We don't have to have it for a long time if that's what it takes for you to be comfortable having it.”

“You shouldn't have to wait that long.”

“I'll wait as long as it takes,” John said, pressing a kiss to Bobby's shoulder. “I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do. And you're not forcing me to do anything I don't want to do either. Not a single motherfucking thing. I am here because I want to be, not because I feel obligated to be.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “You've talked to Ronny.”

“He came to the club to try and find me,” John murmured. “He thought I deserved to know some stuff.”

“I fucking hate him.”

“No, you don't,” John said. “What he said made things make a bit more sense.”

“Such as?”

“Such as why you constantly need assurance that I do care about you,” John said softly. “I had no idea he was like that, Bobby. I'm so sorry.”

“My father is a motherfucking dick,” Bobby said after a moment. “He had complete control over my life and any time I tried to have any sort of independence he did whatever he could to keep that from happening. I was the golden child to the world and the huge mistake to him. Nothing I did was ever good enough. Didn't matter that I got the best grades or that I was on the basketball team at school or that I got accepted into Columbia. None of that mattered to him. I was always the disappointment, always the worst thing that ever happened to the family. He's probably thrilled that I'm out of his life.”

John tightened his arm around Bobby's waist. “He was blind to how special you are. Because you're amazing, Bobby. I know you probably hate that I keep saying that, but it's the truth. I've never met anyone like you before.”

Bobby didn't say anything and John silently cursed his father. They laid there as John waited for Bobby to speak but he never did, so John decided to try to divert the discussion to something a little safer. “I never knew you went to Columbia.”

“Yep,” Bobby said, letting out a small laugh. “I fucking hated it.”

“What did you study?”

“My mother wanted me to go to law school. My father wanted me to go to med school. But I went there and studied business, which of course was another disappointment. Business degree got me a job as an accountant right after I graduated though, so they kind of shut up about that. Well, about the job part. I heard a litany of things about me staying in New York. I didn't want to admit that I never wanted to go back to Boston.”

“What happened to the job?”

“It was with this international corporation, and because of that, it meant keeping really weird hours and sometimes working weekends. Then I met you in the club, spent the night at your apartment, and there were about six delays waiting for the right trains. My boss was an asshole on the best of days but when I was about three hours late, he just fired me on the spot.”

John let his forehead rest against the back of Bobby's neck. “I cost you your career.”

“You didn't cost me anything. Being with you that night provided the opening to finally have the life I've always wanted. I wouldn't trade everything that has happened for anything.”

“Why haven't you tried to get another job? With a degree from Columbia, I imagine you could probably get a pretty good one.”

“Because I like being at the restaurant more than I have ever liked any job in my life,” Bobby said quietly. “I like being around the family. I like Peter's weird outfits and Warren's really bad jokes and the way Wanda is like the sister I never had. I like how Charles always seems to care about how I'm doing and how Kurt gives me big tips whenever I say something that he deems to be particularly gay. I like listening to Theresa bitch about the girl she'd taken home the night before and I like Piotr trying to act like he's a big tough guy when he's actually really quite soft. I like interacting with the queens that come into the restaurant, even though I hate hearing Sophia bitch about how her fake tits won't stay straight and I hate listening to the ones you've fucked tell me all about how you're going to destroy me in the end.

“I like checking the clock and waiting for when you show up. I like the way you smile when you see me once you get there. I like spending my breaks with you. I like knowing that when I leave I'm leaving with you. I like knowing that when we're heading out the door that we're going home together, even before you lived here. I like knowing that I'm important enough for you to have put whatever it was you used to do to the side and spend time waiting for me. Because I can't imagine that sitting in the restaurant every night is something you really want to do. But you do it for me anyway. I like all of that far more than I would ever like working in another office, no matter how much more money I would have if that was the case.”

John took a deep breath and was about to speak when Bobby spoke again. “I want to know what you were going to tell me earlier. I want to believe that it was what I was hoping it would be. I want to not be so fucking terrified of that thought either. But I also want to believe you when you said you didn't do anything but dance at the club tonight and I just can't. I've heard too many stories, John. Too many people are all too willing to tell me what you're really like. So you can't be upset that I've constantly got this doubt in the back of my mind that one morning you're going to wake up and wonder what the fuck it is that you're doing with me. And you can't be upset that doubt is what is making what you said tonight so hard to believe. I have absolutely no idea why you spend even a second with me. I am not special, John. Not even close. I don't deserve anyone's attention, let alone yours.”

“You are incredibly special. I never want to hear you say that you aren't again. That's not you talking, baby. That's your father. I spend every second I spend with you because I want to. And I want to because you're the most amazing person I've ever met. While I really wanted that first night to be the only night, there was something about you that next morning that made me want to see you again. You got to me, baby. And not in a bad way. In a really good way. The more I've gotten to know you, the more I've seen just how incredible and special you are,” John said, pressing a kiss to the back of Bobby's neck. “I was at a point where I never wanted to ever have anything remotely close to this. But then you showed up in my life and now I've never wanted anything more. I don't want this to end, baby. And I feel like I'm going to fuck it all up somehow and that you're going to disappear from my life and I just...if I had made stupid decisions tonight, I could have cost myself all of this, but I couldn't do that. Not just to me, but to you. I couldn't hurt you like that. And I am dying inside at the fact that you even think that I did that because I can't begin to imagine how much that must hurt.”

They laid in silence for a long time before Bobby shifted around until he could look at John. “You really only danced?”

John nodded. “I didn't even drink. I only had one shot of vodka and that was after Jubes got me off the dance floor and right before I left.”

Bobby sighed and rolled over, settling himself so he was face to face with John. The room may have been dark, but he could see how hurt John was and he swallowed hard. “It's my fault. I'm the one who pushed you away tonight.”

“No, baby.”

“It's the truth. You're laying here and you're doing everything you can to apologize to me and I need to apologize to you too. I reacted badly when I heard you say that you wanted to have the conversation and that hurt you. Don't even try to deny it.”

John just nodded. “You've been after me for so long to tell you how I felt and I finally reach a point where I can and you basically told me to fuck off.”

“I know,” Bobby said. “I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. You deserve so much better than that.”

“So do you,” John said softly. “I should have told you how I feel ages ago.”

“And if I asked you to tell me now?”

John took a deep breath. “Baby.”

“I would like to hear it if you are willing to say it.”

“Can I kiss you first?”

“You have to ask that?”

“After tonight, I think I do.”

Bobby nodded and John reached out and caressed the side of Bobby's face before pulling him into a kiss. He felt Bobby melt against him as he deepened the kiss, trying to pour everything he felt for Bobby into it. When they broke apart, John sucked in a couple of breaths before breaking out into a smile. “You still want me to tell you?”

Bobby smiled back. “Yes.”

John caressed the side of Bobby's face again. “I never thought that I could ever feel like this. And then suddenly I did. It took me a while to figure out what it was because I'd never experienced anything remotely close to this before. I had nothing to compare it to. But I know what it is now. I know it so clearly that it makes me wonder what on earth I was doing when I was trying to figure it out because it's so obvious.”

John paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “I'm in love with you, baby. I love you more than words can even begin to express. And it's fine if you can't say it back. It's even fine if you don't feel the same way. I just felt earlier like I couldn't go another day without saying it. You deserved to know.”

Bobby felt his breath catch in his throat. “Really?”

John nodded, smiling when Bobby's fingers threaded into his hair. “To be perfectly honest, I think a part of me has been in love with you since that first night.”

Bobby laughed. “I find that very hard to believe.”

“It's true,” John said. “I don't know why but it's true.”

“Warren,” Bobby started after a moment. “He told me that you told Kurt that you wanted this to be your life for a while. How long is a while?”

“You should have heard that from me,” John sighed. “But how long is awhile? I don't think there will ever be an end to it unless you want one.”

Bobby blinked. “Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?”

John nodded. “I know that it's a lot to take in, but I might as well be completely honest. You're it, baby. You're the only one for me and I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Bobby swallowed hard. “I'll be completely honest as well. I never thought I'd ever hear you say that to me.”

“Oh, baby,” John said, kissing him softly. “I can understand why you thought that, but Bobby, it's you. It's always going to be you.”

Bobby leaned forward and brought their lips together again. “I want to say it back so badly. I just can't yet.”

“I understand,” John murmured, drawing him into another kiss. “I really do.”

“Hopefully you won't have to wait too long,” Bobby said. “But I can't promise you that you won't.”

“It's okay, baby.”

“No, it really isn't,” Bobby said. “You just told me that you love me and will forever and I can't say it back. That is not okay.”

“Bobby,” John said firmly. “It's okay. I am not forcing you to say anything before you're ready to. And when you do say it, it'll mean that much more because you're ready to.”

Bobby stared at him for a moment before nodding. “God, I wish Ronny wasn't here. I really need you to fuck me now.”

John grinned. “Then it's a good thing he's staying somewhere else tonight, isn't it?”

“He is?”

“He is.”

“Then why do we still have clothes on?”

“I have no idea.”


	19. Chapter 19

“I cannot believe the police fucking raided the club,” Wanda exclaimed. “What were they expecting to find?”

“They were expecting to find exactly what they did, Wanda,” Charles said, sitting down at the counter. “They found a lot of drugs and some people who were exchanging sex for money.”

“Charles, you are being way too calm about this entire thing,” Wanda said seriously. “They won't let us reopen the club or the restaurant for days. Weeks, maybe.”

“Reopening when we are allowed to is not as easy as it sounds,” Charles said, tapping the end of his cigarette against the ashtray before looking up at Wanda. “I'm not a big believer in fate and all that bullshit, but having everything closed at this exact moment has been more of a blessing than a curse given the current situation I find myself in as the owner of this business, which is how I have to view this situation instead of just as the lazy motherfucker that's always hanging out around here.”

Wanda walked over to the counter and sat down next to him, giving Charles a confused look. “What sort of situation are we talking about here?”

“I have a restaurant and a nightclub that outgrew the space that it's located in about three years ago, bartenders that are about to quit if I don't get them some help, lines that are stretching so far down the block that some of the neighboring businesses are starting to complain, and oh yeah, that massive security situation because if this raid has done anything, it's shown how absolutely unsafe this place is for my employees and patrons. Insurance costs are rising, payroll is going to have to rise to keep the place adequately staffed and to keep the employees happy, and the asshole that owns the building is telling me to either buy it from him or he's going to kick me out and get a so-called reputable business to come in instead.”

Wanda sighed and leaned up against Charles, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. “I thought you already had an agreement to by the building?”

“We do, but he wants to speed the time frame up,” Charles said, taking a long drag off his cigarette. “He wants to head out to Los Angeles and he doesn't want to leave any ties to New York behind.”

“Are you in a position to do that?” Wanda asked quietly.

“Fuck if I know,” Charles murmured, exhaling a large cloud of smoke. “Beyond payroll, taxes, and expenses, everything else has just been put into an account and left there. I don't think I've checked the balance on it in forever.”

Wanda groaned. “I will never understand how someone so bad with money can have such a successful business.”

“At least I know it's in the fucking account and that I haven't touched it,” Charles countered back before sighing. “I'm not good with this fucking shit, that's why I have you and Piotr take care of all of that. And whoever it is that's the manager of the club at the moment. I'm not sure I even know her name.”

“Her name is Moira,” Wanda said, shaking her head. “And you need an accountant. I know just the person to recommend for you too.”

“You do?”

“Yep. Bobby.”

Charles looked over at her. “Bobby?”

“Bobby graduated from college with a degree in business and worked for a rather large corporation as an accountant before he started working here,” Wanda said, smiling at Charles. “He would know what he's doing and he'd know the family and the importance of this place. I'm sure he would be happy to help you figure all of this out.”

Charles took a deep breath. “You really think Bobby would do that?”

“Do what?” came Bobby's voice, and they turned to see him enter the restaurant. “Because I'll do anything to get this place open again. I need a paycheck or I'm going to have to ask John and Jubes to split the rent this month because I won't have it.”

“Everyone is going to get paid,” Charles said seriously. “And the waiters are getting a bonus because you're missing out on tips.”

“But what we need you to do,” Wanda interjected, “is use the skills you learned in college.”

Bobby stopped near them and gave Wanda a confused look. “What?”

“Charles needs an accountant,” Wanda said, smiling at him. “Someone who can help him figure out the financial situation he's in and yet be trusted with the importance of this place for the community and the family. I suggested to Charles that person should be you.”

Bobby blinked rapidly. “I'm sorry, but what?”

“I want to hire you to be Charles's accountant,” Wanda said again. “Charles is really, really, really bad with money and the financial situation of this place is currently unknown. Charles could be nearly broke for all we know.”

“I'm not nearly broke,” Charles said immediately. “I know that much. There were nearly four million dollars in that account the last time I checked it.”

Bobby and Wanda's jaws both dropped. “What?” Wanda eventually said.

“The restaurant does well, don't get me wrong, but the club is the moneymaker. The woman that runs it, Moira you said her name is? She knows how much we take in on average in a single night. And it is much more than you two think it is,” Charles said. “I have no idea what the balance in that account is now. I probably haven't checked it since the Christmas before last.”

“Charles,” Bobby said. “You really need some financial help.”

“And that's where you come in,” Wanda said seriously. “I know that you've said that you're much happier in the restaurant than you were at your old job, and maybe there's a way you could stay a part of it on a daily basis, but I really need you to do this. Charles needs you to do this.”

Bobby sighed and pulled out a chair from one of the tables, sitting down and running a hand through his hair. “I don't know about this.”

“I'll pay you handsomely,” Charles said. 

“No, Charles, I really don't know about this,” Bobby said. “I'm not an accountant anymore. I left that life behind me.”

“I'm not asking you to go back to that life. I'm asking if you will let me give you the empty office next to Wanda's and to take care of the financial side of the business. I'm asking you to do this for the family. For me.”

Bobby thought about it for a few moments before taking a deep breath. “If I hate it, you find someone else and I get my old job back.”

“I can agree to that,” Wanda said, turning to Charles. “You?”

“I can agree to that as well,” Charles said, giving Bobby a smile. “Thank you. I have a lot of questions for you now.”

“I think I need to get a look at the actual financial situation before I can answer any of them.”

“Then let's go talk about that in my office.”

Bobby stood onto shaky legs. “I'm still not sure about this.”

“Don't worry, Bobby, it'll be worth it,” Charles said. “Besides, you'll be the first to hear my idea.”

“Your idea?” Wanda asked. “I'm not going to like this, am I?”

“Actually, Wanda, I think you're going to love it.”

Bobby looked between them before sighing. “Don't worry, Wanda. I won't let him do anything too crazy.”

“I'm counting on that.”

**********

“Charles, you know that this is equal parts outrageously awesome and completely insane,” Bobby said, looking across the desk at him.

“Is it?” Charles asked, leaning back in his chair. “Because I really need someone to tell me that it isn't.”

“You want to grow the business, Charles, and I get that. You've already proven to me that the business has outgrown its current location. I had no idea this place got that much business.”

“That's because you're hardly ever in the club,” Charles said, sighing. “And I'm not saying that is a bad thing. If you're not a partier then you're not a partier. I actually think that helps your relationship with John, to be honest. He's not constantly in there being tempted back into a life that he doesn't want.”

“He, um, he was in there the other night,” Bobby said quietly. “We had a fight and that was the first place he went. He says he only danced and Jubes and Kurt told me that too, but I just...it was a weird night, that night. He came home smelling like the club and then he told me he loves me. I'm not entirely sure how to process all of that yet.”

Charles looked up at that. “John told you that he loves you?”

Bobby nodded. “Yeah, he did. Never thought I'd ever hear him say that, truthfully. And then he went on to say that I'm the only one that he's ever going to love and fuck, Charles, I wanted to say the same thing back to him so badly but I just don't know if I can.”

Charles stared at him incredulously. “You didn't tell him that you love him too?”

“No, I didn't,” Bobby said, sighing heavily. “I only know one way to love, Charles, and that's the way my father taught me. And I refuse to do to John what he did to me. So yes, I think I love him more than anything, but I also think that love is going to destroy us in the process. So I'm trying to avoid telling him how I feel so that when it all falls apart like it's going to I don't feel so motherfucking hurt.”

“Bobby, you know plenty of ways to love that aren't what your father taught you,” Charles pointed out. “You love John in a much different way than your father loved you. You love everyone here in a much different way than your father loved you. I wish you could see that.”

“Do you know what my greatest fear in life is, Charles? It's turning into my father. I cannot let that happen, and if I have to sacrifice being in love to keep that from happening, then that's what I'm going to do.”

“Oh, Bobby,” Charles said, shaking his head. “You do realize that this is going to cost you the best thing that's ever happened to you in the end, right? Because I know John is not going to stick around if he thinks you don't want to love him the way he loves you.”

“I know,” Bobby whispered. “I really do know.”

“But you're going to do it anyway.”

“I don't know what else to do, Charles.”

“I do,” Charles said softly. “Let yourself love him. If it turns into a disaster then it turns into a disaster. But you've got to take that risk. I never thought the day would come when I'd be more worried about you breaking John's heart than I was about him breaking yours, but I am now. Bobby, you've got to just let yourself feel. You are not your father.”

Bobby coughed and turned back to the paperwork in his lap. “From looking through the information you've given me, I have to say that this proposal to purchase the building that the business is located in could be seen in either of two ways. And which way you approach the proposal depends on how much you want the business to continue to grow.”

“Do not think that I did not notice that abrupt change of subject,” Charles pointed out. “But what are the two ways I could see this proposal?”

“Well, you could see it as an opportunity to leave the current location and move to a bigger, more usable space that will appropriately fit the current size of the business and will be able to accommodate it while it continues to grow.”

“Which makes perfect sense and is what I really would like to do but scares the fucking hell out of me,” Charles interrupted.

“Yes,” Bobby continued. “Or you could purchase the building that we're currently in now and continue to pursue a bigger, more usable space to move the business into.”

Charles just shook his head. “I'm not moving the business if I buy the building. There's no way I could afford that.”

“Not with the cash in your accounts. That's where loans would start to come in.”

“But you think I have enough money to buy a bigger place for the business without having to get loans and all that?”

“Well, I think that you have enough money to purchase and renovate the property that we were discussing earlier. If you were to look at a different property then we would have to look at the numbers for that one. But the proposal for the building we're in is built to benefit the seller and screw the buyer, to put it mildly.”

Charles jumped as the door to the office open. “Fucking hell, you scared me.”

“Sorry, love,” Erik said, walking into the room. “John and I came by for our lunch break.”

Charles sighed. “Bobby, can I think on this for a while and get back to you?”

“Of course,” Bobby said, standing up and smiling at Erik. “John's out in the restaurant?”

“Yes,” Erik said. “Warren was about to start making him something to eat.”

“I can't believe that Warren is here cooking even when we're closed,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “I'll go see if he'll make something for me too.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” Charles said as he walked out of the room. “You usually don't spend your lunch breaks with me, Erik.”

“And I usually don't hear from my daughter that you're talking about moving the business,” Erik said, grabbing onto Charles's waist as he stood and nuzzling his neck. “Talk to me, love.”

Charles smiled and turned around to kiss Erik gently. “I'd rather show you.”

Erik looked at him suspiciously but followed along when Charles walked out of the office, wondering what the fuck it was Charles was up to.

**********

“It's a warehouse,” Erik said, following Charles in through the door. “In fact, isn't this the warehouse that shipping company was going to move into? Is that not happening now?”

“They found a place in Hell's Kitchen instead.” Charles spun around and grinned at him. “And now, it's a blank canvas. Try to picture it while I talk, okay?”

Erik nodded and Charles pointed towards the door they had just come through. “That would be the main entrance. People would walk in and we'd actually have room for them to stand and wait to be seated in the restaurant, with one of those little stands with a seating chart and menus and all of that, and a much more organized way of doing coat check and passing people through security to get into the club.”

Erik watched as Charles walked away from him, drawing an imaginary line along the floor with his foot. “We'd get walls put up on either side to make a big hallway through here and then a door here to lead into the restaurant. This would be the edge of the seating area. So it would stretch all the way to that end of the building,” Charles said, pointing towards the warehouse's east wall. “Over there we could put the cash registers and then we could put the counter over here.”

Charles walked towards the end of the building and stopped, waving his arms around to indicate an area. “We'd put a wall up behind the counter with one of those pass-through windows and put the kitchen behind it. And then next to the kitchen we'd have all the offices,” he said, his grin getting bigger with every word he spoke. “Next to the offices, we could put the storeroom and then on the other side of the storeroom would be the main bar for the club.”

A smile crossed Erik's face as Charles jogged towards the other end of the building, the picture in his mind starting to match what Charles was detailing for him. “Which would leave plenty of room between the bar and the stage.”

“Yes!” Charles exclaimed, pushing an old box out of the way to point to the building's northwest corner. “The stage would be over here, diagonal to cut off the corner but far enough out that we could lay out a backstage area that would be large enough for all the go-go boys that come in and do shows. And then, for the best part, we'd have a runway extending out from the stage.”

“The queens would die,” Erik said, walking towards Charles. “The queens would absolutely die if they had a real runway to use for their runway contests.”

“They'd go crazy,” Charles agreed, wrapping his arm around Erik's waist when he was close enough. “And then in that corner, we'd have a smaller bar with a little storage room behind it to try and split the crowd up a bit so the main bar doesn't get as overwhelmed as it does right now. And in between all of that would be the dance floor and we could do all kinds of crazy things with that space. Platforms and cages and poles. All kinds of stuff.”

Erik laughed. “It would be amazing, love.”

Charles nodded and moved his hands up to Erik's shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. “I'm scared out of my fucking mind at actually doing it.”

“But you can afford to?” Erik asked, pressing a gentle kiss to Charles's forehead.

Charles nodded. “Buying this from the shipping company would be cheaper than buying the building from the asshole I rent it from because the shipping company is looking to dump this place fast. But then there's the expense of renovating it which would actually make it more expensive than just buying the building we're already in.”

“But you'd get the whole building?”

“Yes,” Charles said, taking a deep breath. “If I move the business, I want us to do it together. A fresh start, something that we could do together and build together, and fuck, I probably sound like some sappy idiot here, but I don't want to do this on my own.”

“Charles, you're not on your own,” Erik pointed out. “But what exactly are you asking me to do here?”

“I want you to come in on the business with me,” Charles said seriously. “I want you to have half of this because what's mine is yours.”

Erik leaned forward and kissed Charles softly. “I don't have the kind of money you do. I can't afford to buy out half of your business.”

“I don't need your money, Erik,” Charles said. “I need you here next to me. You've got the business brain out of the two of us.”

“You've got plenty of people around you that help you run the business just fine.”

“They aren't you.”

“I'm serious, Charles. I don't have the money to buy out half of your business.”

“I'll sell it to you for a dollar and a pack of cigarettes,” Charles said, giving Erik a pleading look. “Please do this for me. Please be my partner in this.”

“And what am I supposed to do with my business, hm?”

“You know that Raven would buy it from you in a heartbeat,” Charles pointed out. “She's wanted to do that for years.”

“I know. She wants to buy it and clean house because she thinks everyone she works with is incompetent,” Erik said. “There are certain people there who I promised jobs to that would kill me if they lost it again.”

“So tell John he still has a job,” Charles said. “We'll find a place for him here.”

“Charles.”

“Please, Erik. Please be my partner in this.”

Erik looked around for a moment before breaking out into a smile. “I don't think it's possible for me to say no to this. You want to build a runway for fuck's sake.”

Charles yelped as Erik picked him up and spun him around, laughing by the time his feet touched the ground again. “We are going to be so fucking busy now, you know that?”

“That's alright,” Erik said. “I think keeping me busy will be a good thing. Less time to think about other things.”

“You're going to have to deal with the fact that you're going to be a grandfather at any moment at some point. You do realize that, right?”

“I know myself, Charles. I'll be in denial about this until the moment that baby is born and the first time I ever see him or her I will completely melt. You know how I feel about Lorna. I'm sure I'll feel that way about Lorna's baby too.”

“You better,” Charles said seriously. “Because she and the baby are living with us after the baby is born. There's no way Wanda is going to want to deal with a crying baby in her apartment. She's already frustrated enough that Lorna's there.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that,” Erik said, lacing his fingers with Charles's. “I'll deal with it. I'll be too busy with this place to probably even register that it's happening.”

Charles grinned at him, feeling like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. “Then I guess I better go finalize the purchase of the building, hm?”

“You better,” Erik said, pulling him towards the entrance. “Because I am not letting this dream of yours die because someone bought the building out from under you.”

“They won't, darling. I promise.”


	20. Chapter 20

“I know everyone has been waiting to find out when the restaurant and club are reopening,” Charles said, looking out at all the gathered members of the family. “I have two announcements regarding that.”

“Is that why we're all here at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning?” Theresa called out. “Because this is fucking early, Charles.”

“You're only saying that because you work the night shift,” Peter replied. “I personally have no problem with this being the time it is.”

“Fuck off, Peter.”

“Children,” Charles said, drawing their attention back to him. “The first announcement is that we have been given clearance to reopen next Monday. So not this coming week but the one after that.”

A happy cheer went up and Charles smiled. “The second announcement is that this iteration of everything will only be open for another six months.”

The cheer quickly went silent. “What?” Jubilee eventually asked. “You're closing this place?”

“This location,” Charles stressed. “There will be a new, bigger location opening then.”

A murmur spread around the room before Peter yelled out. “Hey! Why wasn't I told about this in advance?”

“Because if someone had told you, you would have told everyone in about five seconds,” Erik said, shaking his head. “It was better for you to find out this way.”

“I resent that!”

“Then tell me I'm wrong,” Erik said, laughing when Peter stayed silent. “Exactly.”

“Peter, your father is right. This needed to be announced the right way,” Charles said. “Erik and I will be undertaking this adventure together. He's going to sell the company to Raven and help me run this place full time.”

Bobby stopped listening at that point because questions were being shouted at Charles and Erik by everyone and he was pretty sure he'd already asked everything they could come up with. He switched his concentration to John, who he could feel seething next to him. “Johnny? You alright?”

“No,” John said after a moment. “I'm not.”

“This is a good thing,” Bobby tried. “A really good thing.”

“Says the man who is not about to be out of a job. If Erik is selling the company to Raven then she's going to fire everyone and start fresh. I cannot tell you the number of times she's suggested that to Erik. She finds every single one of us incompetent and stupid. She wants us all gone.” John sighed heavily. “And here to think I'd actually begun to believe Erik again when he told me my job was safe.”

“Erik wouldn't leave you high and dry like that, Johnny.”

“I'm not so sure about that,” John muttered. “I'm not sure what I know at the moment. Fuck.”

Bobby reached out and tangled their hands together. “It's okay.”

John turned and looked at him, smiling when he saw the look on Bobby's face. “I'm glad that you're so optimistic about this.”

“There is no point in being pessimistic until you at least talk to Erik.”

John just rolled his eyes. “I have learned many things about Erik over the years. Trusting him to be reliable is not one of them.”

“And yet you always have.”

“I did until he fired me,” John said truthfully. “He hasn't exactly rebuilt that bit of trust yet.”

Bobby sighed and looked up to see Erik had left Charles to fend the questions and was heading towards them. “Well, maybe he's about to.”

John noticed Erik coming towards him and shook his head when he stopped in front of them. “I do not want to talk to you at the moment.”

“John.”

“I fucking depend on you, you know,” John said angrily. “And this is the second time in five months that you've fucking left me without a job. I know what Raven's going to do.”

“I have not left you without a job,” Erik said seriously. 

John glared at him. “Don't fucking lie to me.”

“Look, is Raven going to fire everyone at the company? Yes. But there will be nothing I can do about it at that point. What I can do, however, is make sure that you are not working there when that happens.”

John just rolled his eyes. “And where exactly am I supposed to be working? I'm not qualified to do anything but what I do, Erik, and even then it's marginally at best.”

“Charles and I would like to know if you would come work for us,” Erik said patiently.

“I am not being a fucking waiter again,” John spat out. “Working for you was supposed to be me moving up in the world. I am not taking that step back.”

“Then it's a good thing we don't want you to be a waiter, isn't it?” Erik said, continuing when John stayed silent. “Charles and I would like you to assist us with creating the new location. Your attention to detail and your ability to sort out any kind of problem I have makes you invaluable to me and it will to Charles as well. We'll need your help with plans and logistics and orders and supervising contractors and advertising and all kinds of things. If anything, this would be another step up in the world for you. And you would be compensated handsomely for it.”

“What is handsomely?”

“Ten dollars an hour more than I am paying you now,” Erik said seriously. “And with the agreement that if at any time you want to leave and find somewhere else to work that you are more than welcome to. We don't want to force you to do something you don't want to be doing.”

John looked over at Bobby and Bobby just put his hands up. “You know what I'd do but this isn't about me. You need to make the decision that's best for you.”

John sighed heavily before nodding. “I will do it. I will probably hate it in the beginning, but I hated working for you in the beginning too. It'll go away.”

“I think you just hate the concept of a job in the beginning,” Erik pointed out. “You were like that when you started working here too.”

“No, that's not it,” John said, shaking his head. “When I started working here I was in fucking withdrawal. That's why I fucking hated it. When the withdrawal went away, I grew to enjoy it. When I started working for you, I had a moment where I wondered what the fuck it was I was doing because I did not want to spend the rest of my life making coloring books. I grew to enjoy that too. I have no doubt that this will be any different.”

“Thank you,” Erik said, stepping forward and giving both of them a hug. “You two will be very instrumental in making this a success in your new roles and Charles and I appreciate your support in this more than you can possibly believe.”

Erik walked away from them and John gave Bobby a confused look. “Your new role?”

Bobby took a deep breath. “I didn't want to tell you until I was sure that I was actually going to do it full time.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that the other night you asked me why I'd never tried to get another job that my degree qualified me for. And then the cops raided the club and Charles realized he needed someone with my skills that he could trust. He decided to trust me with that. So I am going to run the financial side of the business for Charles,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “When you've been at work, I've been here helping him figure out if he even had the money to do this, and then once we did, I helped get everything in order for him to be able to purchase the new location. I have a feeling that you and I are going to be working closely together now because I know I'm going to need to come up with the money you'll need to accomplish things.”

John blinked a couple of times. “Were you ever going to tell me that?”

“Yes,” Bobby said defensively. “I didn't make the decision to do it full time until yesterday and then I thought I'd just explain it to you after you heard about everything else. I was always going to tell you. You needed some sort of explanation as to why I wouldn't be going back to working as a waiter next Monday.”

John just shook his head and pulled Bobby into a kiss. “I'm happy for you. You worked hard for that degree. You should be using it.”

“And I'm happy for you,” Bobby said, kissing him again. “You're going to be very good at this. Charles and Erik were always planning on hiring you away from the book company but I was the one who suggested this might be a good fit at first.”

“At first?”

“There's not going to be a building to plan forever,” Bobby said seriously. “They'll need to find another job for you to do at some point. I have faith that we'll all find the right one for you.”

“I hope so,” John admitted. “Because I really don't want to work for anyone but Erik again. Or well, Charles and Erik. Working for Charles was pretty great too.”

“And I think this will put us on the same hours for a while,” Bobby said, grinning at him. “This leaves us plenty of time for dates and then relaxing together at home.”

John laughed. “Is that what we're calling sex now?”

“Oh, there will be sex,” Bobby said firmly. “Especially if Ronny gets that apartment he looked at the other day. There will be glorious amounts of sex to make up for all the sex we otherwise would have been having for the past two months.”

John just smiled. “I really cannot wait until your brother gets an apartment.”

“Well, he's in a position where he can actually afford one now, so I'm doing everything I can to speed up that time frame.”

“Good.”

“I'm going to make us all breakfast!” Warren called out. “And everyone is getting the special so don't ask for anything fucking different! Find a fucking table to sit at and I'll get someone to help deliver the plates to the tables.”

“I'll help,” Theresa said, walking with Warren to the counter. 

“Let's go sit with Jubes, okay?” Bobby said, and John just nodded.

They turned towards where Jubilee had sat down to see Kitty and Piotr slide into the booth with her, and John sighed. “Maybe we should sit somewhere else.”

“Good idea,” Bobby said, pausing when he saw Piotr take Jubilee's hand across the table. “Did he just...”

“Fuck, we've got to go tell them they're being motherfucking obvious as fucking hell,” John said, starting to walk towards them. “I know she's not ready for others to know yet.”

They were approximately five steps into their walk when they heard Kurt scream out Jubilee's name, and they froze and turned to look as Kurt started jumping up and down. “Oh my God! Oh my motherfucking God! The three of you? This new relationship is the three of you?”

Everyone turned their attention to where the three of them sat, and Jubilee buried her head in her hands as Kitty blushed furiously. Piotr just turned towards everyone and glared at them. “Fucking deal with it.”

John quickly walked over to the booth, Bobby following along behind him. He sat down on the bench next to Jubilee and pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his neck and just stayed there. “It's okay, Jubes. It's going to be okay.”

“Fuck,” Jubilee breathed out as Bobby crouched down next to the booth. “I did not want people to find out like this.”

“It'll be alright,” Piotr said, pressing a kiss to Kitty's head. “We've been talking about letting others know about this, darling.”

“Piotr's right,” Kitty said, sighing happily when Piotr put his arms around her. “This day was coming. It just didn't happen the way we wanted it to.”

“Kurt is never going to fucking shut up about this,” Jubilee mumbled. “I will never hear the fucking end of this.”

“If he goes on about it too much, just tell Charles. He'll take care of it,” John said, running a comforting hand down Jubilee's back. “You know you can trust him to do that, and Kurt will listen to him.”

“And hey, Jubes, at least it happened with no one but the family in the restaurant. I know you would not have liked it at all if Kurt had yelled that out when the place was packed,” Bobby said, drawing Jubilee's attention to him. “It's going to be okay, Jubes. No one in the family is going to judge you for this.”

“And like I've said before, I am quite happy to knock anyone that gives you shit the fuck out,” John added. “But Bobby's right. It might take a bit of an adjustment but no one is going to have a problem with this. We accept everyone as you constantly remind all of us.”

Kurt was still going on about it loudly in the background and Jubilee cringed every time she heard him speak. John was about to call out and get him to shut up already, but Peter yelled before he could. “I'm taking care of it, don't worry!”

John laughed when Peter grabbed onto Kurt and pulled him in the direction of the club. “He's taking Kurt into the club, Jubes. You won't have to listen to him anymore.”

“Not today I won't,” Jubilee said, taking a deep breath before sitting up straight and giving John a defiant smile. “If they can't deal with it, then I can't deal with them. No matter who they are.”

“It's not going to be a problem for anyone, Jubes,” John said. 

Bobby smiled at her. “Not even Kurt once he calms down from the shock of it.”

Jubilee laughed. “You're probably right about that. He'll just want details.”

Warren called out that the first batch of omelets was ready and Jubilee waved at John and Bobby. “Go find a table.”

“You sure?” John asked, and Jubilee just nodded. 

“It'll be fine,” she said, looking across the table. “Besides, I have them.”

John pressed a kiss to her temple as Bobby stood up, and then he climbed out of the booth and followed Bobby over to a different one across the restaurant. Bobby sat down and John climbed into the bench after him, leaning his head on Bobby's shoulder as soon as they were settled. “I'm going to miss this place.”

“Me too,” Bobby said, letting his head rest against John's. “I have a lot of really good memories here.”

“I do too. A lot of them involve you.”

“Really?” Bobby smiled. “Most of mine include you.”

“This place is always going to be memorable to me for a number of different reasons. Some of them are positive,” John murmured. “A lot of them are not.”

“You had a lot of fun times here. I'm sure there were some in the restaurant but I'm mostly referring to the club.”

John laughed. “I don't know if I'd refer to those as good memories.”

“You wouldn't?”

“Not really. Most of them are just memories of bad mistakes.”

“Not everything that happened in the club was a bad mistake.”

“No, it wasn't. I met you in there and that was a wonderful thing.”

Bobby smiled. “I think that was the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

John grinned. “I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me too.”

“This place, no matter what happens with it after the business moves, is always going to be the place where we met so it's always going to be special.”

“And this place is also going to be the place where we fell in love so that makes it more special.”

“You really think it is?”

“Absolutely,” John said. “I'm never going to be able to walk past this building and not think of you. No matter what happens in the future, this place will always remind me of you more than anything else.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” Bobby said, lifting his head when he saw Theresa walking towards them with plates. “This place will always remind me of you too.”

John sat up and smiled at her as she set plates down in front of them, but John's mind was on one thing and one thing only. Bobby hadn't denied that they were in love. 

**END OF PART ONE**


	21. Chapter 21

**PART TWO**

“Alright, Peter, Sean? You're ready? Warren, you have everything you need?” John asked, looking around the restaurant nervously. “This is our grand opening and it has to be perfect.”

Warren just rolled his eyes. “I get that you're the restaurant manager now, John, but chill the fuck out. That's the fourth time you've asked us that.”

“Sorry,” John said, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “Charles is freaking out so it's making me freak out.”

“Charles freaks out about everything,” Peter said, shaking his head. “He, for some reason, is convinced that no one will come here now that we've moved. There's like a line outside already.”

John glanced at the window and saw the crowd gathered near the door. “Then I will go unlock the door.”

“Seriously, man, just relax,” Sean said, grinning at him. “This is going to be fantastic.”

“You're just saying that because you finally have a job,” Peter pointed out.

“Well, yeah, that's definitely going to help with things, but also this opening is going to be fantastic.”

John just walked away from them and pulled his keys out of his pocket, fiddling with them until he found the right one. “Lorna, you good?”

“I am until Charlotte wakes up. After that might be another story,” Lorna called out. “It's fine, John. Everything is fine.”

John unlocked the door once he reached it, forcing himself to take a deep breath as the restaurant went from completely empty to half-full in a matter of seconds. When he walked back into the dining room, he helped hand out the brand new menus and talked to a few people he knew before turning and seeing Bobby leaning up against the doorframe in the opening that led towards the offices. He made his way over to him and Bobby pulled him into the hallway, pushing him up against the wall and kissing him hard. 

“Everything is fine,” Bobby said when he pulled back. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

“This has to be perfect,” John said.

“No, it doesn't, because it's not going to be,” Bobby said, kissing him again. “Relax and just let things happen. You've got good employees and they can handle most of it.”

John forced himself to take a deep breath. “I know that you're right. I do. But Charles has been freaking out all morning and it's just got me freaking out too.”

“I'll help Erik handle Charles. You go manage the restaurant.”

“Why are you here?” John asked after a moment. “You don't have to be here for another two hours.”

“Do you honestly think that I'm going to let you go through this day alone? I know how nervous you've been about this, Johnny. You need me here right now.”

John felt himself melt at the look in Bobby's eyes and he smiled. “I love you.”

“I know,” Bobby said, kissing him again. “Now get back to work.”

“I'll come to bring you some breakfast later,” John said, kissing Bobby again. 

“Sounds good,” Bobby said, walking towards his office. “And I'm serious about everything being fine.”

Before Bobby could get to his office, they both heard Lorna scream. They sprinted into the dining room to see Erik stalking towards the entrance, Charles right behind him, and before either of them could say anything, Erik had Alex pinned up against the wall. 

“You are fucking lucky I don't murder you right here and right now,” Erik growled, shaking off Charles's touch when he got near enough.

Alex just laughed. “Good to see you too, Erik.”

John made his way over to Lorna, Bobby right behind him. Bobby grabbed onto the baby seat that Charlotte was sleeping in and John wrapped an arm around Lorna's shoulders, and they quickly made their way out of the restaurant through the offices and into the club. Lorna was shaking by the time that they reached there, and John wrapped his arms around her as Bobby set the baby seat on the top of the bar, checking to make sure Charlotte was still asleep. 

“It's okay, Lorna,” John murmured. “It's okay. He can't get near you.”

“Dad's going to kill him.”

“No, he's not,” Bobby said softly. “There was a plan should this ever happen again and he knows his part in it.”

“Plan?” Lorna asked, pulling back and looking at them. “I wasn't aware of a plan.”

“Because we knew you'd react this way and you wouldn't be able to think to do your part of it,” John said. “And no one blames you for that, sweetheart.”

Lorna nodded. “So what is the plan then?”

“Erik distracts Alex by getting up in his face. Charles keeps him from giving in to his anger and going too far,” Bobby started.

“Some combination of Bobby, Wanda, and I get you and Charlotte out of there and into the club,” John continued.

“And either Warren or one of the waiters hits the panic button specifically designed for this situation behind the counter that alerts the security office,” Bobby finished. “The moment they get that particular alert, Logan or whoever is working that day knows to call the police before going in to help diffuse the situation.”

Lorna stood there and let all of that process. “How would they know that it's for this? There's only one panic button behind the counter.”

“No, there's two,” John said, shaking his head. “One for normal stuff and one specifically for Alex. Everyone who works in the restaurant knows the difference.”

Lorna thought about that. “Why do we come to the club? Wouldn't the offices be more practical?”

“He could get into the offices if he got past everyone in the restaurant,” Bobby explained. “The club is locked during the day and the only way to get into it is with a security card. Which reminds me, I still need to get mine.”

“Yeah, I only got mine this morning,” John said, pulling Lorna close again. “Logan just got the damn thing to work at about eight o'clock last night.”

Bobby shook his head. “With as much as Charles paid for that security system, you'd think it would have worked sooner.”

“Logan blamed that on the installation. He spent half of yesterday rewiring the entire control center.”

“Fuck the security system,” Lorna muttered, looking towards the baby seat. “Is she still asleep?”

Bobby looked over and nodded. “Sound asleep.”

“Good,” Lorna said, taking a deep breath. “I don't know if I can deal with a crying baby right now.”

“You're doing a great job with her, sweetheart,” John said, pressing a kiss to her hair. “You're a great mother.”

“I don't know about that.”

“Believe me, Bobby and I would kill for a mother who loves us as much as you love Charlotte.”

“You're a wonderful mother, Lorna, and she is going to be so lucky to grow up in a family as open and loving and accepting as you have given her,” Bobby added. “And I mean that.”

“Thank you,” Lorna said softly. “I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Dad's been somewhat of a help. Wanda's been even more of one. My mother still refuses to even speak to me, let alone see her. Charles and Peter have been great but they have no idea what they're doing either. Kurt's only contribution is to buy her clothes.”

John laughed. “I can only imagine what Kurt has been buying her.”

“Trust me, some of it will never be worn,” Lorna said, smiling. “Most of them are really nice. But I can't have her in dresses that would be appropriate to wear to church on Easter every day, and that's about all he's bought her recently. I desperately needed this place to be open again so that I can earn money to buy her stuff she actually needs.”

Bobby frowned at that. “You were working at the old location.”

“Yeah, but not as often as I'm going to here. I finally convinced Dad and Charles to let me return to work full time.”

“That's good, sweetheart,” John said, looking up when the door opened. “All clear?”

“He left the moment he heard the police were on their way,” Charles said as Erik brushed past him and took Lorna into his arms. “We've got it from here, boys.”

Bobby nodded and grabbed John by the hand, pulling him out of the club and into the hallway. John immediately went into his arms and Bobby pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “It worked, Johnny. He didn't get to her.”

“I wish we didn't have to do this,” John murmured. “I hate that this is even necessary. I knew when she got the restraining order that it wouldn't be enough.”

“I know,” Bobby said. “But at least we know now that this can work because I'm sure this will not be the last time this happens.”

“I, unfortunately, agree with you,” John said, pulling back and taking a deep breath. “I suppose we should both get back to work.”

“Technically, I don't start work for about another two hours,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “So if there's a table, I might just come have breakfast and help keep you calm for a while because I know this didn't help your nerves.”

“I think that sounds like a fabulous idea,” John said, kissing him. “Thank you for being here early.”

“As I said before, I wasn't about to let you go through this alone,” Bobby said, taking him by the hand. “Now, let's go. Warren and Peter are running things at the moment and I'm sure you don't want that to last for long.”

“Fuck,” John said, pulling Bobby towards the restaurant. “Pick a table. I'll be over when I can be.”

**********

“I still want to know how the fuck it is you managed to snag Kitty AND Piotr,” Kurt said, as he set a box down next to where Jubilee was standing. “Of course, only you could have managed to do that. You're that kind of a whore.”

“I am not a whore,” Jubilee countered, smacking Kurt on the back of the head before going back to the box she was unpacking. “And I am not telling you any more about my relationship with them than I already have.”

“Oh no, bitch,” Kurt said, reaching out to grab Jubilee's arm and forcing her to look at him. “Bartenders' pact. You are telling me everything.”

Jubilee sighed impatiently. “Then you have told me everything about you and Peter, I presume?”

“That's different!” Kurt exclaimed. “I'm fucking my kind. You're the one who is letting a straight man fuck you.”

Jubilee smacked Kurt on the shoulder. “You so totally missed my point, asshole. So unbelievably missed it.”

“Don't fucking hit me like that. Who the fuck do you think you are?” Kurt asked, rubbing at his shoulder.

“Oh, you two,” Charles said, drawing their attention to him. “Things are starting to feel normal around here if you two are back to doing this.”

Kurt beamed as Jubilee rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop being such a little bitch, Jubes. This is Charles's big day! Let's not ruin it for him, alright?”

“If anyone would be ruining anything, it would be you,” Jubilee said, “but I'm not sure anyone could ruin this day. The place looks fucking fabulous, Charles.”

Charles smiled and turned to look out at the club, his eyes taking in the rich blues – the shiny surfaces, the gleaming silver poles, the raised platforms, the centerpiece that was the runway – that stretched across the room. “It really does, doesn't it?”

“I couldn't believe what some of the queens got up to over at the old place and I cannot wait to see what they get up to now,” Kurt said, laughing. “We're going to have to be even more careful than ever that the cops don't show up again.”

“That is going to be the job of the new security team,” Charles said, turning back to reach over the bar. “See that phone? You spot something that shouldn't be going on and all you have to do is pick it up and wait for the security office to pick up on the other end. No more trying to search the entire place for someone to take care of things. You just tell them what you see and they'll take care of it.”

Kurt flicked his eyes between the phone and Charles before letting out an excited yelp. “If I didn't know any better, I could fucking kiss you right now, seriously!”

Charles laughed. “So what's stopping you from doing it?”

“Oh, please, honey. Like I want my father-in-law all up in my face,” Kurt said, glancing around quickly before leaning forward and kissing Charles gently. “In all seriousness though, that is fucking sweet.”

“It's going to make life so much fucking easier when we get busier too,” Jubilee chimed in, pulling the last of the bottles from the box in front of her before tossing it out toward the dance floor. “And we are going to be so fucking busy. This place is going to be packed every night, darling.”

“I hope so,” Charles said quietly, glancing out at the dance floor again. “I am seriously fucked if it isn't.”

Kurt reached out and put his hand on Charles's shoulder, squeezing gently. “It will be, don't worry. The buzz going on right now about this place is insane. I have this friend that's a makeup artist and he said it was all the gays on that magazine shoot he worked the other day could talk about.”

Jubilee paused as she was opening up the next box, giving Kurt a look. “A friend? Is that what we're calling him now?”

“Peter knows about it,” Kurt said defensively. “And he said he didn't care.”

Jubilee went to speak but Charles put out a hand, waving it in her face. “Argue with him about that later. Kurt, tell me more about this magazine shoot.”

“He worked on a spread for Vogue, which is like a fucking amazing job to get,” Kurt squeaked. “Anyway, in between him totally gushing about how gorgeous these models he worked with are, he was telling me all about how this fabulous queen who was the hairstylist came in with one of the fliers and wanted to know if anyone was going and if not why they weren't, and then he brought up the fact that he knew one of the bartenders, and apparently it turned into a huge discussion with all the wardrobe people and they're like all coming tonight.”

Charles's eyes widened and he slumped against the bar, glancing at the back wall, his eyes instantly training on what he wanted. “Jubilee, pour me a whiskey, will you? I think I'll get through this day a lot better if I'm not entirely sober.”

“And I think that will just lead to you being completely drunk before opening, so no,” Jubilee said, reaching under the bar and pulling out a bottle of Pepsi. “You can have that instead.”

Charles stared at the bottle of a moment before looking back at Jubilee. “I sign your paycheck. You sure you want to talk to me like that?”

“I know that, but come back to fucking reality for a moment, okay? Things are going to be way too insane in here tonight for Moira to handle on her own and Erik has never dealt with the club in full effect so he won't be able to handle anything on his own either,” Jubilee said, pausing to take a deep breath. “You said when you announced this that you're ready to be more than just the lousy motherfucker that hangs out around here and in order to do that you're going to have to stay sober. Erik needs you to do that.”

Charles sighed heavily. “Fuck. You're right. I'm so stressed I didn't even think about that.”

“That's why everyone else is around to help, honey,” Kurt said, grabbing a bottle opener and popping the top off the bottle of Pepsi. “Take that, go sit in your office and drink it, and just calm down, Charles. Everything is going to be fucking amazing tonight, okay?”

Charles grabbed the bottle and straightened up, glancing at his watch before smiling at them. “If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I'm on a call, alright?”

“We can totally do that,” Jubilee said, grinning at him. 

Charles nodded and started walking towards his office, kicking the empty box Jubilee had tossed onto the dance floor closer to the other empty ones. He paused by the door, glancing back at them. “Hey, before I forget, make sure you two go to the security office later and talk to Logan, okay? He'll get you the cards for that fancy security system we installed, alright? Otherwise, if you go outside, you won't be able to get back in.”

“Got it!” Jubilee called out as Charles walked out of the club, heading down the hallway to his office.

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant and spotted Ronny already in one of the booths, heading over to it and sitting down next to him. “How is it going today, honey?”

“Hey Jubes,” Ronny said, smiling at her. “Place looks great.”

“I know, right?” Jubilee said, beaming. “Remind me to drag you into the club to see it before you leave.”

“I was actually planning on going in the club tonight,” Ronny said. “Can't miss the first night after all.”

Jubilee just shook her head. “I never thought I'd see the day when you would enjoy hanging out in a gay club.”

“Hey, I met Abigail in that gay club, thank you very much,” Ronny said, laughing. “Nah, it's alright. Once I got used to the idea of guys hitting on me, it's been all good. It's much more fun being in there than it has ever been at any other club.”

“Why do you think women like Abigail end up in there?” Jubilee said, grinning. “They find it so much safer for them than any of the other clubs, I can guarantee that.”

“So I hear,” Ronny said, looking over when John sat down across from them and put menus on the table. “Where's Bobby?”

“Bobby is stuck in his office for at least another half an hour,” John said, sighing heavily. “Charles has been freaking out all day despite the fact that the restaurant has been super busy and its busiest time is at night. He's also convinced that no one is going to come to the club tonight, which I think is probably more of what he's freaking out about than anything else. Bobby and I know how over budget this place got when renovating it and I think Charles is convinced that he doesn't have a whole lot to fall back on, which is complete utter fucking bullshit. Bobby has been assuring him of that for weeks but he's having to actually do it with numbers today.” 

“I suspect Bobby's not happy about that,” Jubilee said, reaching out and taking one of the menus. “How different is this?”

“There are a few new things but other than that everything is the same,” John said, handing one to Ronny. “And Bobby is definitely not happy about what he's doing. He's looking forward to dinner and then getting out of here.”

Jubilee peered at John over the top of the menu. “I thought the two of you were coming to the club tonight?”

“We are,” John said. “But I am not going into the club in these clothes and I think Bobby needs a bit of a break after today. He's been here since we opened.”

“He has?” Ronny said. “I thought his shift didn't start until eight.”

“It doesn't,” John said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “He came in early to make sure I was alright.”

“Aw,” Jubilee said, smiling. “I will say it again. You two are ridiculously adorable sometimes.”

“Yeah, you are,” Ronny teased.

John just rolled his eyes. “Like you two are ones to talk given your relationships.”

They both laughed. “Seriously, though, onto a more serious subject,” Jubilee said. “Has he told you that he loves you yet?”

John sighed heavily. “No, he hasn't.”

“What the fuck is he waiting for? It's been like six months since you told him,” Ronny said, shaking his head. “It's so fucking obvious.”

“I don't know what it is,” John murmured. “But he's not going to be doing it any time soon, I know that much. Especially not with the anniversary about to come up.”

“Is that what we're calling Christmas now?” Jubilee asked, setting the menu down. “Because we can just call it Christmas.”

“I know that it's Christmas. And in front of Bobby, we will just call it Christmas. But you know as well as I do that Bobby is likely never to think of it as anything more than the anniversary ever again. I can't look at the day my parents found out as anything other than that, and it's your birthday.”

“I know,” Jubilee said, sighing. “But I'm hopeful that will change for both of you one of these days.”

“I think the point John is trying to make is the fact that it's been almost a year since my parents found out and Bobby still hasn't broken,” Ronny said, making John nod.

“That is exactly what I'm talking about. I cannot believe that he's held it together for this long. I'm started to wonder if he ever will break.”

“He will,” Ronny said after a moment. “I think that at this point it will probably only happen when he is put into a situation where his automatic response is to cry. And I have absolutely no idea what kind of situation that is, so don't ask me for one.”

“I wasn't going to,” Jubilee said. “I wonder what that could possibly be though.”

“I don't know, but I'm beyond trying to force this out of him. He's starting to get angry with me whenever I ask questions about his childhood and I'd rather not provoke him any more. The last thing I want to do is push him away.”

“You're not going to push him away,” Jubilee stressed. “It's just a matter of time until he tells you, Johnny.”

“I am not so sure about that anymore,” John said, slumping down into the bench. 

“Don't lose hope,” Ronny said quickly. “The last thing he needs is you losing hope.”

“I'm not losing hope,” John said, running his hands through his hair. “What I am doing is becoming more realistic.”

“What you are doing is trying to convince yourself that he doesn't love you,” Jubilee pointed out. “And that is fucking absurd.”

“I'm not so sure of that.”

“Well, I am,” Ronny said firmly. “I know my brother better than anyone. He loves you, John. He might not have said it yet, but he does.”

“I'm not having this conversation.”

“We will have this conversation as many times as is necessary,” Jubilee said firmly. “I'm not letting you fuck this up.”

“I would not be the one fucking this up,” John said angrily. “I have said how I feel. And you know how fucking hard that was for me.”

“Yes, and it's entirely the same for him. It's hard for him, John. You cannot rush these things,” Jubilee said, glaring at him. “And I will fucking kill you if you try to make him rush this.”

“I see how it is. You care more about him than you do about me now.”

Jubilee reached out and smacked John hard on the side of his head. “Do not even fucking go there, John Allerdyce. You know fucking damn well how fucking wrong that is.”

“You're both right,” Ronny said, trying to diffuse the tension. “You cannot rush these things, John, but you also aren't the one fucking things up by not saying how you feel. Believe me, I've tried my hardest to get Bobby to see that the longer he takes, the more he's going to push you away, but he won't listen to me.”

“He is not going to push John away,” Jubilee said seriously.

“Well, I sure as fuck am not waiting around forever for something he's clearly never going to say,” John shot back. “No matter how much that would destroy me.”

“Johnny,” Jubilee started, but Ronny just shook his head. 

“He's right, Jubes. He shouldn't have had to wait this long, let alone wait much longer. If it's still months from now and Bobby hasn't told him, then I wouldn't blame John for breaking it off.”

Jubilee glared at both of them. “That is not happening.”

“Then he better fucking say it,” John said seriously. “Because I would much rather end this sooner than be hurt even more later.”

Theresa walked up to the table at that moment and John just shook his head before Jubilee could start speaking. “If you mention what we were just talking about to her, I am getting up and leaving now.”

“John, honestly,” Jubilee said, rolling her eyes.

“I already barely tolerate the family knowing as much as they know about our relationship. I am not going to deal with them all knowing this too.”

Theresa looked between them for a moment. “I can come back if you want.”

“We're waiting for Bobby anyway,” Ronny said, “so maybe that would be best.”

“Alright,” Theresa said, glancing between them again. “But whatever it has me worried.”

“Don't be,” John said, putting a smile on his face. “It's nothing.”

Theresa nodded before walking away and John turned to Jubilee with venom in his voice. “I am fucking serious about you not telling anyone about this. The last thing I need is him pressured into saying something he doesn't mean just because he hears about this.”

“Fine,” Jubilee said, shaking her head. “But that is not what would happen.”

“Yes, it is,” John said firmly. “And I don't want that. I want him to just mean it.”

“He would,” Jubilee said, her voice soft. “And it breaks my heart to think that you don't think he would.”

“I'm not worried about your heart being the one that is broken,” John said honestly, looking up to see Bobby walking towards them. “And that is the end of this discussion.”

Jubilee went to protest but then Bobby sat down next to John and the words died on her lips. “Good evening, gorgeous. Glad you could join us.”

“Charles just needed some reassurance,” Bobby said, putting his head on John's shoulder. “I think I was able to give him some but he's still completely freaked out about how the club is going to do tonight.”

“Well, he'll calm down once he sees the lines, I'm sure,” Jubilee said, smiling at him. “John was just telling us that you two are going to go home for a while before coming back to the club.”

“Yes,” Bobby said, turning and pressing a kiss to John's neck. “I need to get out of here for awhile.”

“You and me both,” John murmured. “I'm already hoping that I'll be able to sleep on my lunch break tomorrow.”

“Sleep?” Ronny asked.

“I have to be here so early in the morning that by the time we'd get home I'd pretty much just have to turn around and come right back,” John explained. “So I will just stay in the club until I have to come to the restaurant and start getting things ready to open up.”

“That's insanity,” Ronny said while Jubilee just rolled her eyes. 

“Insanity it may be, but it's what's going to happen any night that I want to spend in the club,” John said, turning to press a kiss to Bobby's head. “Which is not very many anymore but I promised Erik I'd be there tonight.”

“You won't be the only one,” Bobby said. “Everyone from the restaurant is showing up in the club tonight. You might have a seriously hungover staff tomorrow.”

“I am already expecting that,” John laughed. “I am also already expecting the restaurant to be filled with hungover queens so I'm hoping it'll be less hectic than it was this morning. I think Lorna is going to be the most awake out of all of us and she has a baby who gets up at all hours to deal with.”

“Well, I already told Kitty and Piotr that I was going to be here in the morning, so you'll definitely be seeing me,” Jubilee said.

“Of course you are,” John said, shaking his head. 

“What? I'll watch things for a few minutes so you can go blow Bobby in his office.”

Bobby and Ronny both choked and John just laughed. “If you think that Bobby and I are going to become Kurt and Peter now, you have another thing coming.”

“Just offering,” Jubilee said, noticing Theresa was on her way back to the table. “Now, we all better figure out what to order because I know Theresa will not be here just to chat.”


	22. Chapter 22

“The restaurant looks like a winter wonderland,” Bobby said as they walked through the doors on Christmas Day. “Wanda outdid herself this year.”

“She outdoes herself every year,” John said, laughing. “And trust me, Erik hates it.”

“Why does Erik hate it?”

“Erik is a man of restraint when it comes to things like this,” John said, shrugging off his jacket. “He would prefer much more simple decorations.”

“You've got that right,” came Wanda's voice, and they turned and found her approaching them. “And it's about time you two got here. You were supposed to be here two hours ago.”

John laughed. “Sorry, we had some stuff to attend to.”

Wanda just rolled her eyes. “Oh, just admit that you two fucked and be done with it.”

Bobby blushed as John laughed again. “Of course we did. Jubes isn't there and she hung mistletoe above our bed before she left. Can't let her think it wasn't put to good use.”

Wanda just shook her head. “Only you two would interpret mistletoe as an excuse to fuck.”

“We don't need an excuse to fuck,” John pointed out. “But we like to take advantage of Jubes not being there.”

“Whatever,” Wanda said. “Grab a table. Warren's probably going to start cooking soon.”

Wanda walked away and John turned to Bobby, seeing the flush on his cheeks. “Oh, come on, she already knew why we were late.”

“That doesn't mean that you needed to announce that we fucked,” Bobby said, taking off his coat. “But whatever. I know you're right. I just still have these moments when I don't want people to know things.”

“Hey,” John said softly, pulling Bobby into his arms. “They don't know everything and they never will. I don't want them to know things either. Some stuff is meant for just you and me and I want to keep it that way.”

“Good, because that's what I want,” Bobby said, kissing John quickly. “Let's go find a table.”

They made their way to the booth that was always theirs before tossing their coats down and climbing into the bench. Bobby had just turned to John to say something when he noticed someone come through the door. “I didn't know that Scott and Jean were coming.”

John frowned and looked up, seeing them approach Lorna. “They aren't supposed to be here. They always spend Christmas with Scott's family.”

They watched as a brief conversation took place between the three of them before Lorna started walking towards them, and John took a deep breath before turning to Bobby. “Whatever that is, I don't think it's good.”

“Let's not worry about it until we have a reason to worry about it, okay?” Bobby said, tangling their fingers together beneath the table. “It's Christmas Day. Just enjoy it.”

“Hey, would you two mind looking after Charlotte for a few minutes?” Lorna said as they approached the table. “I need to go talk to Scott and Jean in the office and I don't want to bring her with me.”

“Of course,” John said, holding out his arms and taking Charlotte from her. “We absolutely adore her, you know.”

“I know you do,” Lorna said. “That's why I'm trusting you with her. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Bobby smiled at Charlotte as Lorna walked away. “How old is she now?”

“Around six months,” John said, grinning as Charlotte latched onto his shirt and pulled. “Hey now. Bobby's the only one who gets to undress me.”

Charlotte giggled and pulled at John's shirt again. Bobby reached out and gently pulled her hand away, and she batted at his hand and reached for John's shirt again. “Are you trying to take over my job, Charlotte? I'm the one who does that.”

Charlotte giggled again and pulled at John's shirt, making John laugh. “She likes my shirt.”

“I can see that,” Bobby said, grinning. “I like it too.”

“You better, because you bought it.”

“I'm not sure I like it on you though.”

John gave him a confused look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I think it looks much better on the floor,” Bobby said, giving him a wicked grin. 

John groaned. “Not in front of the kid.”

“What?” Bobby laughed. “She clearly wants it off of you too.”

John just shook his head. “You're a filthy son of a bitch, you know that?”

“You love me this way though.”

John couldn't help the smile that came to his face. “Yeah, I do.”

Bobby leaned in and kissed John, deepening the kiss for a moment before he was whacked on the side of his head. He pulled back and found Charlotte giggling, and he laughed. “You don't want me to kiss him?”

Charlotte batted at his head again, making John laugh. “I guess not.”

Bobby just shook his head and reached out, tickling her and getting her to laugh loudly. “That's the punishment you get for not letting me kiss my boyfriend.”

He stopped tickling her after a moment, but she was still laughing as Charles approached the table a minute later. “I don't think I've heard her laugh so much yet today.”

“She wasn't very fond of Bobby kissing me,” John said, smiling. “But she did seem to like my shirt.”

“Yes, she's been into shirts recently,” Charles said. “She ripped one of Kurt's the other day. I've never seen him so angry and amused at the same time before.”

John just shook his head. “Leave it to Kurt to get angry with the six-month-old.”

“It wasn't for very long,” Charles said. “You just know how protective he is of his wardrobe.”

“Oh yes, I do,” John said as Charles reached out and took Charlotte from him. “Lorna back out here yet?”

“No, but I want to spend some time with my granddaughter,” Charles said, beaming. “I can't believe I have a granddaughter.”

“You were always going to end up with grandkids,” Bobby said. “You know that.”

“Yes, I was, thanks to Erik's children. But I never thought I'd actually be referred to as Grandpa. I always thought I'd just be Charles. But Lorna has insisted that I'm Grandpa too, and that makes me smile more than you could possibly know.”

“Good,” Bobby said, “because you deserve that.”

“Thanks for watching her, guys. You did great if you got her to laugh that much. You're very good with children. Something you should keep in mind for the future.” 

Charles walked off, leaving John and Bobby sitting there in silence. The silence lasted for a couple of minutes before Bobby cleared his throat. “Have you ever thought about having children someday?”

“No, I've never really thought about it,” John said, taking a deep breath. “That doesn't mean I'm fundamentally opposed to the idea either.”

Bobby smiled. “I always thought I'd have children. Of course, I thought it would be with a wife that I'd dutifully married so I could appease my parents. I never thought I'd ever have someone like you. But, yeah, I always thought I'd have kids someday.”

John reached out and pulled Bobby close, kissing him gently. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“I know,” Bobby said shakily. “But that doesn't mean that I don't still have moments when I think you might. I mean, we're talking about having children. If that was mentioned when I first met you, you would have run for the hills.”

“I wasn't in love with you then,” John said seriously. “I was giving this a chance but I had no idea that it was going to turn into this. I'm so, so glad that it did though. I'm so happy to be in love with you. And if you want to have children, then someday we will seriously talk about having children, okay? I've just never thought about it before.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” John said softly. “I love you, Bobby. More than I could ever express with words.”

Bobby leaned forward and kissed John, licking into his mouth and exploring it gently. They found themselves lost in each other until they heard someone clear their throat, and they broke apart to find Ronny sitting on the other side of the booth. 

“Merry Christmas, guys,” Ronny said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “You look to be celebrating already. Just don't fuck in front of all of us.”

Bobby kicked at Ronny under the table. “You're a bastard, you know that?”

Ronny just laughed. “Oh come on, it was the obvious joke.”

Before Bobby could respond, Theresa suddenly sat down next to Ronny. “John, have you heard from Jubes?”

“No,” John said, glancing at the clock. “It's only nine out in L.A., Cassidy. She's probably not even awake yet.”

“I'm not so sure about that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Theresa sighed heavily. “It means I saw her coming out of the corner store by my apartment on my way home last night. She got away before I could catch up to her, but I swear to God that it was her.”

“Theresa, she's in Los Angeles,” Bobby said. “How could she possibly be here? And why would she be over where you live? You live quite far from our apartment.”

“I think she's avoiding your apartment,” Theresa said seriously. “And that has me worried as fuck. That's why I'm talking to you two.”

John sighed and reached for his phone. “I'll call her and see what's up.”

“Thank you,” Theresa said, leaning back against the bench. “I don't understand why she'd be here. She loves going home to Los Angeles for the holidays.”

John scrolled through his contacts before finding the right one, bringing the phone up to his ear after pressing the button to make the call. When he heard Jubilee answer, he noted that she didn't sound as sleepy as he'd expected her to be. “Jubes, where the fuck are you?”

“I'm in Los Angeles at my parents' house,” Jubilee said. “Why?”

“You are not at your parents' house,” John said firmly. “You'd still be asleep if you were in Los Angeles.”

“I got up early this morning.”

“Do not bullshit me, Jubilation.”

“I'm not.”

“If you think I can't tell that you're lying to me, you are sorely mistaken.”

“John, honestly.”

“Theresa saw you last night, Jubes. Fucking tell me what is going on.”

John heard Jubilee sigh heavily. “Fine.”

When she stayed silent, John just rolled his eyes. “You better fucking talk soon, Jubes, or I'm figuring out where you are and coming there.”

Jubilee sighed again. “I told my parents about Piotr and Kitty.”

John instantly softened. “What happened?”

“They fucking flipped out and kicked me out, of course.”

“Oh, honey.”

“Whatever, it's okay.”

“It's not okay, Jubes. Don't even fucking lie about that.”

“Alright, fine. It's not okay. But I'll deal with it because I don't have a choice but to. Don't worry about me though. Enjoy Christmas.”

“Where the fuck are you? And why did you not come here?”

“I'm staying at an old friend's place. She's in Los Angeles but she said I could crash there.” 

John just rolled his eyes. “And why are you fucking avoiding our apartment? You know that you could have come back there.”

“I didn't want to admit what happened, alright? It's not exactly my favorite topic in the world at the moment.”

John sighed. “That is completely ridiculous. So you're alone?”

“Yes.”

“Then get your fucking ass to the restaurant and have a proper Christmas. No one will think differently of you and you fucking know that.”

“I don't think that's necessary, Johnny.”

“You need some love and support from the family and the family is all here,” John pointed out. “You need to come here, Jubes. I'm being serious about that.”

Jubilee was quiet for a few moments before sighing heavily. “Fine. I'll come there. But it'll be a bit. I haven't even taken a shower yet.”

“That's fine, but if you're not here in two hours I'm fucking calling back and yelling at you.”

“I can agree to that. I'll see you in a while.”

Jubilee hung up and John sighed heavily as he dropped the phone down onto the table. “She told her parents about Kitty and Piotr and they fucking freaked.”

“Shit,” Bobby said. “That's not good.”

“No, it's not,” John said, putting his head on Bobby's shoulder. “We're going to need copious amounts of vodka to get this out of her.”

“Leave that to me,” Theresa said, standing up and walking away. 

“Why do we need the vodka?” Ronny asked.

“Because the only way she'll talk about her parents if is she's drunk,” John said. “Trust me, we need the vodka.”

“Are you really sure that getting Jubes drunk is a good idea?” Bobby asked. “It's Christmas Day and she's probably going to want to enjoy it as much as she can.”

“She's not going to feel better until she gets the story about her parents out,” John said seriously. “And she's not going to talk about it if she's sober. Trust me, baby. I've dealt with this before. You haven't.”

“Alright,” Bobby said, turning to press a kiss to John's head. “Just don't get drunk too. I like you better when you're sober.”

John sat up and looked at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I like you better sober.”

“It means a fucking lot more than that.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “It means I don't like you when you're drunk.”

“Bobby, I'm serious. Fucking tell me what that means,” John said firmly.

Bobby dropped his head down but didn't say anything, making Ronny sigh. “He thinks you're too friendly with other guys when you're drunk.”

“Ronny!” Bobby exclaimed.

“What? He wants the truth. That's the truth. You've told me that on many occasions when we've all been in the club together.”

John sighed heavily and pulled Bobby close, kissing him softly. “You're the one that I want, baby, no matter how much I might flirt when we're in the club.”

“It just reminds me of what you were like before,” Bobby said softly. “It reminds me of what the queens used to tell me when I was waiting tables.”

“No, baby,” John said, shaking his head. “That was my life before you. This is my life now. And I wouldn't change it for anything. I love you. That's never going to change.”

Bobby took a deep breath and gave John a shaky smile. “I think I really needed to hear that.”

John leaned in and kissed him deeply. “Anytime you need a reminder of something, I am happy to give you one. I don't want you thinking things that aren't true. Just let me know what you're thinking and I'll be happy to remind you of the truth.”

Bobby smiled before sliding out of the booth and standing up. “I'm going to go find Warren. If we are going to be drinking a lot, we're going to need some food so we don't get sick to our stomachs. I'll be right back.”

John smiled. “He's always trying to take care of me,” he told Ronny. “Did he do that to you when you were kids?”

“Oh yeah,” Ronny said, nodding. “He's a very protective and caring guy. I am thrilled that he ended up with you. You don't freak out when he does that the way my father did. And I'm hopeful that will help him realize that he's not my father. Because he does love you, John. I'm sure of it.”

“I hope so,” John said softly, looking over at where Bobby was talking to Warren. “Because I don't know what I'm going to do if he doesn't.”

“Trust me,” Ronny said seriously. “He does.”

John sighed. “He needs to tell me that. I'm not going to believe it until he says it.”

“I know,” Ronny said, looking over at Bobby. “And I understand that. I think I'd be the same way.”

“I'm glad you're here, Ronny. He needed someone to confide in about things. He didn't have one,” John said. “He wouldn't do it with Jubes because he knew that Jubes was that person for me. He's not close enough to anyone else to have done it with them. But I think that since you've come back into his life, he's been a little more relaxed. He doesn't have to hold everything in anymore.”

“Well, whatever I can do to help is something I would like to do. If that means letting Bobby just talk about you, then that's what I'll do.”

“I really appreciate that more than I can possibly express,” John said, smiling at him. “So, tell me how things are going with Abigail.”

Ronny broke out into a grin. “They're great, John. They really are.”


	23. Chapter 23

Jubilee walked into the restaurant and it immediately fell silent. She stood there for a moment before turning around and heading for the door, but she paused when she heard John yell. 

“Don't you fucking dare, Jubilation. I will fucking track you down and drag you back in here.”

Jubilee sighed and turned back around, shaking her head. “I am not telling everyone, Johnny.”

“The fuck you aren't,” John called out. “We're a family, Jubes. This is what we do.”

Jubilee swallowed hard as Charles walked up to her. He pulled her into a hug and squeezed tight. “Whatever it is, Jubes, we're here for you.”

“My parents,” she said softly. “They fucking kicked me out after I told them about Piotr and Kitty.” 

“Oh honey,” Charles said, squeezing even tighter. “I'm so sorry.”

“Me too,” Jubilee whispered. “And I really don't want to tell everyone via a big announcement.”

“You want me to spread the word?” Charles asked softly. “Because I will.”

“You'd do that for me?”

“I'd do anything for you, darling. You're my daughter.”

Jubilee felt her eyes fill up with tears. “Thank you, Charles.”

“Of course, Jubes.” Charles let go of her. “Go sit with John and talk it out, okay? Leave the rest to me.”

Jubilee nodded and walked over to the booth where John, Bobby, and Ronny were sitting, dropping down onto the bench next to Ronny. “Hi.”

“Hi honey,” John said, reaching across the table and taking her hands into his. “How are you doing?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” Jubilee said quickly. “I am here for Christmas, not an interrogation.”

John sighed heavily. “Jubes, you need to talk about it and you know it.”

“Yeah, well, I'm not,” Jubilee said before a couple of bottles of vodka were set on the table. “You're a lousy motherfucker, John Allerdyce.”

“No, I'm a helpful one,” John said, looking up at Theresa. “Thank you, Cassidy.”

“You're welcome, Allerdyce,” Theresa said, bending down to press a kiss to the top of Jubilee's hair. “You're beautiful the way you are, sweetheart. Your parents not being able to see that doesn't change anything about who you are.”

“Thanks, darling,” Jubilee murmured before Theresa walked away. 

“You kids better not get so drunk that you can't leave!” came Charles's voice. “I am not babysitting drunk children tonight!”

“Kurt's probably already at that point,” Peter called out. “But don't worry, I'll make sure he gets home!”

Everyone laughed and Theresa walked back up to the table, putting down four glasses. “Charles is probably right. You shouldn't get so drunk that you can't get home.”

“Don't worry, Theresa. I'll make sure that doesn't happen,” Bobby said, smiling at her. 

“Good, because Charles would probably kick you out on your ass if you did. I know he doesn't want to stay here all night. It's like his one day off all year.”

“We know, Cassidy,” John said. “And we won't ruin that for him.”

Theresa nodded. “I meant what I said, Jubes. You're perfect. Don't forget that.”

“I won't,” Jubilee mumbled and Theresa pressed another kiss to the top of her hair before walking away. 

“Alright, out with it,” John said, reaching for one of the bottles and opening it up.

“Fuck off, Johnny,” Jubilee said, accepting a glass and knocking it back. “I do not want to talk about it.”

“But you need to,” Bobby said. “You said that to me after my parents were fucking dicks.”

“You can fuck off too,” Jubilee said, sliding her glass across the table. “Another.”

“I think they're right,” Ronny said. “I think you need to talk about it.”

“And you can fuck off as well,” Jubilee said firmly. “I'm about to get up and leave.”

“You are doing no such thing,” John said seriously. “I meant it about dragging you back in here if you tried that.”

Jubilee accepted another glassful and quickly knocked it back. “Fuck. I wasn't expecting this. In hindsight, I realize that I should have, but I wasn't expecting this.”

“What happened?” Bobby asked softly. “Why didn't you expect it?”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “So we all decided to tell our parents about our relationship while we were home for Christmas. Piotr called his parents in Russia before he and Kitty went to Kitty's parents and I was going home to mine. So the night I got there, I was having a drink with my parents in front of the Christmas tree and I decided it was the right time.”

Jubilee grabbed the bottle of vodka away from John and poured herself another glass, knocking it back. “The thing you need to know about my parents is that they're not very happy that I'm a homo. My father has never been comfortable with it and my mother barely tolerated it. But they've always been better about things when I was in a relationship. I've mentioned the fact that I was in a serious relationship when I first moved out here. My parents actually liked her. They thought she was a good thing for me. So I thought that they'd be happy to hear that I was in a relationship now. And they were. At first.”

Jubilee poured herself another glass and knocked it back before pouring another and knocking that back too. “I started off with Piotr and I realize that was my first mistake. So they heard I was in a relationship with a man and it was like everything they had found horrible about me was gone. I wasn't one of those homos because I was in love with a man and everything was fucking fantastic. Then I mentioned Kitty and everything just went to shit.”

John reached out and grabbed the bottle before she could pour herself another. “Keep talking.”

“I need more of that.”

“Jubes, you've almost drunk half the bottle by yourself in less than ten minutes. Slow up a bit and keep talking.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes but let John take the bottle away. “Fine, motherfucker.”

“It's for your own good,” John pointed out. “You heard what Charles said and I really don't want to have to carry you back to the apartment. I've done that before.”

“I know that, fucking asshole,” Jubilee said, sighing heavily. “My father immediately demanded that I get out of this devil relationship and move back to Los Angeles and begin to live a real life. My mother started talking about how she was going to go down to the church and pray for my soul because relationships were meant for a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, and definitely not for a man and a woman and another woman. I fucking knew they weren't comfortable with my sexuality, but I had no fucking clue that they are that fucking homophobic because after all of that they said some pretty nasty shit, and I did not appreciate what they had to say about Piotr and Kitty. And then they kicked me out. I've been asked not to come home until I end this devilry, which basically means that I'm never welcome at home again because fuck, this is my fucking life, you lousy motherfuckers. Now can I have another drink please?”

The three of them stared at her for a moment before John slid the bottle across the table at her. “You're right. You need this.”

“Thank you, asshole,” Jubilee said, grabbing the bottle and bypassing the glass, bringing it to her lips and taking a long pull.

“I'm sorry, Jubes,” Bobby eventually said. “I'm so sorry they reacted like that.”

“We know what it feels like, but I know that doesn't help,” John added. “Just know that we're here for you.”

“And I think you're fucking awesome,” Ronny said, smiling at her. “So I'm really sorry that your parents don't see that.”

“Thanks,” Jubilee murmured after another long pull from the bottle. “At this point, I'm just hoping that Kitty's parents react better than mine did. Piotr already said that his parents spent more time criticizing his move to America than they did about our relationship and he has enough of a rift with them over the move that he doesn't really care if they freak out or not since he's planning on never seeing them again.”

Her phone suddenly began to ring and she took one look at it before standing up. “It's Kitty,” she murmured. “I'm going into the club to talk to her.”

“Okay, darling,” John said, and Jubilee walked away. “Fuck, I hate her parents. I've kind of always hated her parents but now I really hate her parents. They have never treated her the way she deserved and now this has happened and just...fuck. They are lousy motherfuckers like our parents.”

“You can never tell how people are going to react,” Bobby said, leaning up against John. “I mean, I knew how my parents would react, but you thought your parents would be more accepting than they were.”

John shuddered at the mention of his parents. “I don't want to talk about them. It's Christmas Day and everyone should be happy and I think that talking about all of this is only going to make me want to drink all of this vodka.”

“Okay, Johnny,” Bobby murmured as John reached for the vodka and poured himself a drink. “This Christmas is already better than last Christmas, though.”

“I can only imagine,” Ronny said. “I don't even know where you spent Christmas last year.”

“I spent it here at the restaurant. I went through hell trying to get back here in time but I managed to make it to New York City on Christmas morning and so I went to the apartment and then came here.”

“I'm glad you were surrounded by the family then,” Ronny said, smiling at him. “Because I imagine that day really sucked.”

“It wasn't that bad. John made me enjoy it in the end. I'm just somewhat disappointed that this Christmas cannot end the way last Christmas did.”

John choked on his drink and Ronny laughed. “I don't need to hear about your Christmas sexual escapades, Bobby. Nor do I need to hear about your Christmas sex fantasies for this year either.”

Bobby blushed heavily and reached out to smack Ronny in the shoulder. “Fuck off.”

Ronny just rolled his eyes. “I am very well aware of the fact that you have sex, Bobby. I just don't want to hear about it, just as I assume you don't want to hear about me.”

“How is Abigail anyway?” Bobby asked as John poured himself another shot. “It's been awhile since I've seen her.”

“She is super busy with work,” Ronny said, sighing. “She's even on rotation today, which is why I'm here alone instead of being with her at her parents.”

Bobby's eyes widened. “You were going to meet her parents?”

“I have met her parents,” Ronny said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “She's amazing, Bobby. I mean, really, really amazing.”

Bobby just laughed. “I know that, Ronny. I just didn't know that things had progressed to the meeting the parents' stage.”

“I know it's going fast but I think it's worth it. I'm starting to think that she might be it.”

John and Bobby both grinned at him. “That's wonderful, Ronny,” John said. “I'm glad to see you so happy.”

“I'm glad to be happy,” Ronny said. “Really, really happy.”

John looked around the room and frowned when he noticed he didn't see Lorna. “Baby, have you seen Lorna?”

“I haven't seen her since she went to talk with Scott and Jean,” Bobby said. “Why?”

“I'm going to go find her,” John said, standing up. “Because if she's still in one of the offices, that cannot be a good thing.”

John walked over to the office hallway and entered it, looking first in Charles's office before trying Wanda's. Lorna was standing in the middle of Wanda's office, holding Charlotte close to her as tears streamed down her cheeks. John immediately walked over to her and wrapped his arms around both of them. “Tell me what happened.”

“Alex,” she got out. “He's suing me for full custody of Charlotte. Scott and Jean said he's going to make me out to be the drug addict, not him. I don't know what to do.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” John murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “We'll get through this, okay? We'll find you a good lawyer and fight this. There is absolutely no way a court is going to take her away from you.”

“I can't afford a lawyer,” Lorna mumbled. “I can barely afford to feed us.”

“Do you really think that your father and Charles won't help you out?” John asked. “Because I know they would help you out if you asked.”

“I'm trying to do this on my own and I'm failing miserably. I'm a horrible mother, I can barely provide for my daughter, and now a court is going to take her away from me.”

John tightened his arms around her. “You are not a horrible mother,” he said strongly. “You are providing for your daughter. You just need a little help to improve things and I know that your parents will give you some. And I promise you that a court is not going to take her away from you. I promise.”

“You can't promise me that,” Lorna said, pulling back to look at him. “I wish you could but you can't.”

“Do you have any pictures of yourself all bruised up from when he hit you?” John said carefully. 

Lorna nodded. “I took pictures every single time. They're all on my phone.”

“That's a good thing. Those can probably be used as evidence.”

“I hope so,” Lorna said, looking over when the door to the office opened and Wanda and Erik walked inside. “Hi.”

“Honey, what's going on?” Erik said, walking over to her. “You haven't been out enjoying the day with us.”

“I'm going to leave you all alone,” John said, letting go of Lorna and pressing a kiss to Charlotte's head. “But you need to talk to them, Lorna. Let them help you.”

Lorna nodded and John quickly left the office. He spent a moment composing himself before realizing that he needed a few minutes alone, so he went into his office instead of going back out to join Bobby. He sat down at his desk and just stared at the wall for a while before the door opened and Bobby walked inside. “Hi.”

“Johnny, what are you doing hiding in here? It's Christmas Day.”

“Alex is suing Lorna for custody of Charlotte,” John said morosely. “I tried to help her but I just...”

“Oh, Johnny,” Bobby said, walking around the desk and pulling John up from his chair. “Johnny, it's okay. We'll help her fight this. All of us.”

John buried his head in Bobby's neck and took a couple of deep breaths. “I need some distraction.”

“I can do that. But not here.”

“We can't though.”

“Why not?” Bobby asked, confused.

“Jubes will be at the apartment tonight. There's no way in hell I'm going to let her stay at that other place. And we have our rule.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “Surely we can break the rule once?”

“We made a pact a very long time ago about not fucking someone while the other is in the apartment,” John murmured. “I can't break that.”

“Well, maybe we can get her to stay somewhere else tonight then.”

“No. She'll try to hide away again.”

“So what do we do? Because I know you need a distraction. You're not going to be yourself again until I get this off your mind.”

John pulled back and kissed Bobby deeply. “I know. We need to talk to Cassidy.”

“Excuse me?”

“Theresa can invite Jubes over for some more vodka and talk about things. She'll do that with her more than anyone else. I'll get Theresa to keep her drunk and let her crash there for the night. We'll go get her tomorrow morning.”

Bobby laughed. “Why do I feel like you've done this before?”

“Not like this,” John said, shaking his head. “But Theresa's is always where she used to crash on the nights when I needed the apartment because it was my turn.”

“Then let's go talk to Theresa,” Bobby said, kissing him again. “Because you need me spread out and writhing beneath you.”

“You've got that fucking right,” John said, walking towards the door. “And soon.”

**********

Bobby was almost to the door to their room when John grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall, crashing their lips together. Bobby's arms came up to wrap around John's neck and he gasped loudly when John broke the kiss and started trailing kisses down his neck. “We're almost to the bed, Johnny.”

“I don't want a bed,” John practically growled, thrusting his hips forward and grinning when he heard Bobby gasp. “I want you here and now.”

Bobby swallowed hard as John attacked the curve of his neck. “You want to fuck against the wall?”

“Yes.”

“I've never done that.”

“I know,” John mumbled against his skin, “but I've told you that it can be quite enjoyable and right now I want to enjoy it.”

Bobby closed his eyes for a few moments. “I don't want to be one of the guys you used to fuck in the club.”

John pulled back at that. “You're not, Bobby. They were nothing more than sex. You most definitely are not. If you don't want to do this, then we won't.”

Bobby could tell by the look in John's eyes that he meant every word that he'd just said but also that he'd be very disappointed if they had to move to the bed. “I don't want to remind you of them.”

“It won't,” John said softly. “You are all I want, baby. You are so much better than all of them combined.”

Bobby sucked in a deep breath. “I think I needed to hear that.”

“I'll tell you that any time you need me to. I love you, Bobby. Not them.”

Bobby nodded after a moment. “So how do we do this then?”

“What?”

“Sex against the wall. How do we do this?”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

John broke out into a grin. “You stay here. I will go grab the lube.”

Before Bobby could say anything, John disappeared into their room. He brought a hand up to run through his hair and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get the nerves that he felt to go away. It was just sex with John. That's all it was.

John came out of the room a moment later and leaned in to kiss Bobby softly. “I love you. Just remember that.”

“I will,” Bobby murmured.

John pressed their lips together again, this time hard and brutal. Bobby moaned into the kiss and John quickly deepened it, licking into Bobby's mouth and exploring it with his tongue. His hands took a firm grip on Bobby's hips as he turned Bobby into a shuddering mess against him. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips against Bobby's jaw, grinning into his skin as he heard Bobby gasp for air.

Bobby's hands slid underneath John's shirt and he ran them up and down his back, drawing a groan out of John when he dragged his nails along his skin. “Fuck, Bobby,” John mumbled into his neck, and Bobby grinned and did it again.

Bobby let out a loud moan as John pulled his hips forward and their groins brushed together, letting his hands drift down to cup John's ass so he could grind himself against him. John moved his mouth along the collar of Bobby's shirt, nipping at the skin there and drawing a deep groan from Bobby's lips as they continued to thrust against one another. He made his way back to Bobby's lips and kissed him until they were both breathless.

“More,” Bobby gasped out when they parted, making John smile.

“I knew you'd like this,” John said, dropping to his knees in front of him and reaching for a leg. “Lift.”

Bobby looked down as he lifted his leg, watching as John slowly worked his shoe off. They repeated the process with the other leg before John reached towards the fly of Bobby's jeans. He made quick work of it and shoved the pants down, cupping Bobby through his boxers and making him moan loudly. He pulled his boxers down quickly, sliding them all the way down to his feet. “Lift again.”

Bobby did as asked and John worked the clothes off of one foot then the other, running his hands up Bobby's legs until one curled around his cock. Bobby let out a loud moan and threw his head back against the wall as John stroked him, whining when the hand suddenly disappeared. “Johnny.”

“Shh,” John murmured, standing up and kissing Bobby again. “We're getting to the good part.”

They kissed again, gentle at first but growing more desperate. John took one of Bobby's hands and placed it on the top of his jeans, and Bobby quickly undid the button and zipper, palming John's cock through the fabric. John groaned as Bobby continued to stroke him, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Baby.”

Bobby took the hint and slowly pulled John's cock free from his boxers, wrapping his hand around the flesh and running it up and down the shaft. John shuddered against him and Bobby grinned, running his thumb over the head and laughing when John groaned loudly. “I can't wait till you're inside me.”

John snapped into action at that, reaching behind himself for the lube and condom that he'd stuck into the back pocket of his jeans. “Spread your legs.”

Bobby did so as John snapped the cap open, pouring some of the sticky liquid onto his fingers and reaching in between Bobby's legs. Bobby shifted so he had enough room and then John was sliding a finger into him and Bobby had no idea how he was still standing. “Johnny. Oh, fuck.”

John leaned forward to kiss Bobby sloppily as he worked the finger in and out of him. Bobby wrapped his arms around John's neck and held him there as John slid another finger into him, scissoring them quickly. Bobby's hips were pressing down, trying to get John's fingers further inside of him, and he let out a small scream when fingertips brushed against his prostate, making John grin. 

Bobby jumped at the sound of the lube hitting the floor and then John pulled his fingers back, quickly ripping open the condom and sliding it on, slicking it up with the lube left in his hand. He reached for Bobby's hips and then lifted him up, Bobby's legs coming to wrap around his waist almost instantly. John pressed him back against the wall and used it to help hold Bobby there as he slid his hand in between their bodies to line him up at Bobby's entrance. 

“Ready?” John asked, and Bobby tightened his legs around John's waist as he grabbed onto his shoulders with his hands. 

“Ready,” Bobby breathed out, pressing down as John thrust forward and then throwing his head back against the wall as John slowly filled him. “Fuck, you feel good.”

John pushed Bobby even harder against the wall as he began to thrust, Bobby pressing down on every stroke to help him. Bobby's eyes fell shut as John fucked him, his breath stolen from his lungs and feeling better than he could ever remember feeling before. John shifted after a moment and Bobby screamed as he thrust straight into his prostate. John grinned and fucked him harder, Bobby's heels digging into his lower back painfully as moan after moan spilled from his lips. 

“Fuck,” Bobby cried out. “Holy motherfucking fuck.”

John let out a laugh and rested his head against Bobby's shoulder, sucking at the base of his neck. “Stroke yourself,” he got out, pulling back just enough to let one of Bobby's hands slip in between their bodies.

Bobby started stroking himself frantically as John thrust harder. “So close, Johnny.”

“Me too,” John breathed out, thrusting faster into Bobby's tight heat. 

Bobby's hand moved a couple of more strokes before he threw his head back and screamed John's name, his orgasm hitting him almost violently. That was enough to tip John over the edge, thrusts faltering as he came hard. John held Bobby firm against the wall even though he could barely stand, gasping for breath against Bobby's shoulder. It took a few moments before Bobby's legs started slowly slipping from around his waist, and John carefully pulled out and helped lower them both to the floor. Bobby kept his back up against the wall and John settled himself in between his legs, drawing Bobby into a sweet kiss.

“That,” John murmured, “is why I said sex up against a wall can be quite enjoyable.”

“I think that might be the biggest understatement I've ever heard,” Bobby said, laughing. “Holy fuck, Johnny.”

“So you liked it then?”

“Fuck yes,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “We're fucking doing that again.”

“Not tonight,” John said, shaking his head at the look on Bobby's face. “No. We'll fuck again tonight but not like this.”

Bobby sighed. “Fine.”

“It better be fine,” John laughed. “I'm not sure my legs could take doing that again tonight. They feel like jelly at the moment.”

Bobby leaned in and kissed him again. “Do you want to go lay down then?”

“In a few minutes,” John murmured, putting his head on Bobby's shoulder. “I love you. God, how I love you. Thank you for this.”

“You're welcome,” Bobby said, letting his head rest against John's. “And I fucking adore you.”

John bit back the disappointment of yet again not hearing Bobby say that he loved him too. “You are everything I could ever want, baby. And I really mean that.”

They sat there in a content silence before Bobby decided that he had to ask. “Did that remind you?”

“It reminded me of how much I fucking enjoy it. Other than that, it was very different.”

“Good,” Bobby said. “I was thinking it might remind you of the guy you fucked right before me.”

John sat up and gave him a confused look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“The guy you fucked along the wall in the club before we met that night, the last guy you fucked that wasn't me,” Bobby said. “I thought maybe it would make you think of him.”

John sighed heavily. “There was no other guy that night, Bobby.”

“Really?” Bobby said, surprised.

“Yes, really,” John said, leaning in and kissing him. “I'd only gotten to the club about an hour before I met you and most of that time was spent standing in the line outside. I'd literally only been inside for about fifteen minutes when we met.”

“So if it wasn't for the fact that I said it was my first time, I was the guy you were going to fuck against the wall that night then.”

“You were the guy who was meant to break me from that vicious cycle of self-destruction,” John said strongly. “But yes, when we went back to that wall that was my initial intention. Do not get upset about that. I was a very different person then. It's not what happened and I am so happy that it's not what happened.”

“I'm not upset. I'm just relieved. I've been thinking that I was your sloppy seconds that night for months.”

“Why didn't you just ask me?” John wondered. “I would have told you this ages ago.”

“I didn't know how to bring it up,” Bobby said softly. “And I wasn't really sure I wanted the answer. But now that I have, I'm glad that I have it.”

John pulled Bobby into a kiss. “I told you it's been you since the moment we met. I just refused to admit it at first.”

“That's okay,” Bobby said, drawing him into another kiss. “You have now.”

John took a deep breath and snatched the lube up from where it had landed. “Okay, I think I can stand again, so let's get to the bed.”

They slowly got up and Bobby wrapped an arm around John's waist as he started to sway. “You weren't kidding about your legs being jelly, were you?”

“This has never happened to me before,” John admitted as they walked into their room. “I'd always be back dancing within ten minutes. But that was the absolute best that fucking against a wall has ever been and I came super hard because of it. I'm pretty sure that's why.”

Bobby helped John sit on the edge of the bed, pulling him back when he tried to crawl further onto it. “Clothes off first.”

“I don't know if I can do that at the moment,” John mumbled.

Bobby just grinned at him. “Then let me. Just don't fall asleep on me.”

“I won't, I promise.”


	24. Chapter 24

“You have been awfully quiet since Christmas,” Sean said, leaning up against the counter next to the cash register. “What's up, Lorna?”

“No offense, Sean, but unless you can get me a cheap lawyer, you're of no use to me right now,” Lorna said, looking behind her at Charlotte to make sure she was still asleep.

“I'll give you a name if you tell me why.”

Lorna turned around and looked at him. “You know of a cheap lawyer?”

“Tell me what you need it for and I'll tell you how I can help,” Sean said, smiling at her. “That simple really.”

Lorna sighed heavily. “Charlotte's father is suing me for full custody.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “I love how you say that as though I don't know who Alex is. We all went to school together.”

Lorna glared at him. “I thought I said I didn't want to hear his name.”

“Fine, Charlotte's father is suing you for full custody which is why you need a cheap lawyer.”

“Yes,” Lorna said, sighing. “And no such thing exists.”

“Hank McCoy.”

“What?”

“That's his name, Hank McCoy. I'll call my dad and get his number for you. Hank calls himself a community lawyer. I don't know the whole story but what I do know is that he's super good and will do it for free.”

Lorna's eyes widened. “Free?”

“Yup. Hank believes that the best thing to do for the community is to provide free legal services because he knows that not everyone can afford a lawyer. He's got a whole team of people who work for him. I have no idea about the financial side of this but he's been in business for decades. My dad has never had to pay a thing.”

Lorna stared at him in disbelief. “Are you fucking with me?”

“No!” Sean exclaimed. “I know that I don't know everything but I know enough to know that I'd like to kill Charlotte's father myself. There's no way I'm going to let him get full custody of her. Not while I can do something to help.”

“Sean, get back to work,” came John's voice, and Lorna turned to see him approaching. 

Sean just rolled his eyes. “There's nothing to do.”

“There are three tables in your section that are waiting for you. Get the fuck back to work,” John said, glaring at him. 

“Fine,” Sean said, shaking his head. “I'll get you his number before I go home, okay?”

“Thanks, Sean,” Lorna said, leaning into John when he wrapped an arm around her. “He was trying to help me.”

“When is Sean ever helpful at anything? I spend more of my day telling him to quit fucking around and get to work than I care to admit,” John said, making Lorna laugh.

“No, he really was trying to help me. He told me about this lawyer that his dad uses. The guy apparently works for free to help the community.”

John gave her a look of disbelief. “Free? And you're going to believe that?”

“I'm going to at least get the guy's number and call. I need someone who will work for dirt cheap.”

“I thought I told you to ask your parents for help.”

“You did, but that doesn't mean I'm listening,” Lorna said, pulling away from him and smiling as a customer approached the register. “I know you mean well.”

John waited until Lorna had dealt with the customer before speaking. “Do you really expect them to just let you find some scumbag lawyer who might lose you this case? They can help, sweetheart.”

“I'm going to research the guy, John,” Lorna said, shaking her head. “I'm not going to trust some scumbag lawyer as you so nicely put it. And if I cannot find one that I can afford, then I will ask my dad and Charles for help. I promise.”

“I just don't want you to have to go through any more than you already are because some lawyer that's not very good botches this case.”

“I won't,” Lorna said. “This is going to be hard enough. I'm not going to destroy my chance of keeping her because I'm cheap. I just don't want to take charity.”

“It would not be charity.”

“It would feel like it.”

John sighed heavily. “I'd argue with you but I know what you mean. So I won't.”

“Thank you for that,” Lorna said, noticing the way John smiled when Bobby briefly came out into the restaurant to get Erik's attention. “I'm still not used to you in love.”

“I don't think I'm used to it either,” John admitted. “But there has been zero temptation to go back to my old life. Well, if he doesn't tell me that he loves me soon, I might have to.”

Lorna gave him a confused look. “Bobby still hasn't told you that he loves you?”

“No, he hasn't,” John said softly. “Jubes and Ronny keep telling me that it's only a matter of time but I just...it's hard to believe since it's been so long since I told him and he still hasn't told me.”

“Don't lose faith. It's pretty fucking obvious that he loves you.”

“I'm trying not to lose faith,” John said seriously. “But fuck it's hard to tell him that I love him and be told that I'm adored in return.”

Lorna sighed heavily. “He fucking promised me.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Lorna said, shaking her head. “I'll deal with it myself.”

“Okay,” John said, somewhat confused. “Anyway, I came over here because Peter said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes,” Lorna said, taking a peek back at Charlotte. “I have been reading up on custody cases and a lot of the sites I went to said that it's good to have a character witness. Someone who can testify in court about your character if necessary. And so I've been trying to think about who I would want as a character witness. I ruled out any members of my actual family because, well, they're actual family, but I still wanted it to be someone from within the family. And so I have settled on who to ask.”

“That's great, sweetheart. A character witness is a good idea. Who are you going to ask?”

“You,” Lorna said quickly. “I want it to be you.”

John stared at her for a moment. “Me?” he finally said. “You would trust me with that?”

“Johnny, you know me better than anyone else in the family does. If there is anyone that I'm going to trust with this, it's you.”

John smiled at her. “I just didn't know that you would trust me that much.”

“I've trusted you this much since I was eleven,” Lorna said seriously. “And deep down you know that.”

John pulled Lorna into a hug. “I love you, sweetheart, and I will do whatever it is you need me to do in order to keep that fucking piece of shit away from you and Charlotte.”

“Thank you,” Lorna murmured against his shoulder. “You don't know how much that means to me.”

“John!” came Peter's voice, making him sigh. 

“I better go see what that's all about,” John said, pulling back. 

“Can I take my break now?”

John looked over at the clock. “Of course.”

Lorna smiled. “Thanks, Johnny.”

John walked away and Lorna reached behind her to grab Charlotte's baby seat. She walked from behind the counter and over to the office hallway, smiling at Charles before making her way down to Bobby's office. She knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter, and once she was inside, she set the baby seat down on one of the chairs and put her hands on her hips. “You promised me that you weren't leading him on.”

Bobby gave her a confused look. “What?”

“You promised me months ago that you weren't leading John on.”

“I'm not,” Bobby said, completely confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about the fact that you haven't told John that you love him,” Lorna said firmly. “And I am here to tell you what fucking bullshit that is.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “I don't expect you to understand, Lorna.”

“Good, because I don't,” Lorna said. “All I know is that John is starting to think that you don't. And if you don't tell him soon, you're going to be looking at life without John in it. And he can't lose you, Bobby. If your relationship doesn't work out then he's going to go back to the life that he had before, and I swear to fucking God if that happens I'm going to come in here and kill you myself. So fucking tell him already.”

Bobby just shook his head. “I can't.”

“That is such fucking bullshit and you know it,” Lorna declared. “It is motherfucking obvious to everyone that you're in love with him. And he really wants to believe that you're in love with him. But because you won't say it, he isn't sure that you are. And it's starting to tear him apart, Bobby.”

“You really have no idea what you're talking about, Lorna, so I would appreciate it if you would just stay out of it.”

“You are infuriating,” Lorna said, letting out a frustrated scream. “You are being an absolute moron and it's going to cost you the best thing that has ever happened to you. He deserves better than this, Bobby. I thought that you'd be able to give it to him, but apparently, I'm wrong. Do yourself a favor and do not come near me for a while. I might just hit you.”

Lorna picked up the baby seat before Bobby could say another word and stormed out of the office, leaving Bobby sitting there wondering what just happened. The door to his office opened again a moment later and Charles walked in. “Lorna looked angry. What was that all about?”

“I was just yelled at because I haven't told John that I love him,” Bobby said simply, turning back to his paperwork. “Is there something I can help you with, Charles?”

Charles sighed and shut the door to the office, sitting down in front of Bobby's desk. “You have to understand her frustration.”

“I understand that it's none of her fucking business.”

“She loves John like he's her big brother. It hurts her to see him like this.”

“John is fine,” Bobby said automatically. “Everything is fine.”

“Except for the fact that it isn't,” Charles said firmly. “John is losing his patience with you. If you don't tell him soon, you're going to lose him.”

Bobby just shook his head. “You have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Bobby, in some ways, I know John better than you do. I know exactly what I'm talking about. I have watched John lose his patience with many things over the years. It's happening.”

Bobby crossed his arms on his desk and looked at Charles. “I refuse to become my father.”

“You are not your father,” Charles stressed. “You are so, so much different than your father. I wish you would just realize that already.”

“I don't expect you to understand.”

“Make me then. Convince me that what you're doing is right. Because I can tell you very strongly that it's not.”

“I just don't want to hurt him, Charles. And all I would be good at if I told him that is hurting him.”

“And I don't think you understand that by not telling him you are hurting him,” Charles said patiently. “If you told him, you would stop hurting him.”

“I don't know how to love him,” Bobby said softly. “The only way I know how to love is the way my father taught me. I refuse, motherfucking refuse, to do that to him.”

“You already know how to love him, Bobby, because you're doing it. You're already doing it.”

Bobby ran his hands over his face. “Charles, stop. Just stop.”

“Bobby, I think that you need to get a serious reality check because I don't know how much longer John's patience is going to last. You really are going to lose him.”

Bobby took a deep breath. “I can't, Charles. I can't say it.”

“Then I hope you're prepared to live without him.” 

“Charles.”

“I hope you're also prepared to watch him self-destruct because I know that he's going to go back to the life he had before. Except for this time, there will be no one to pull him out of it.”

“Charles.”

“I am one hundred percent serious, Bobby. If you don't tell him that you love him, you're going to destroy him.”

“Either tell me what you came in here for or get the fuck out,” Bobby growled. “I do not need to be lectured about this.”

Charles sighed in exasperation and stood up. “I'll come back once I feel like talking to you without screaming obscenities.”

Charles was out the door before Bobby could say anything and he tried to turn his attention back to the paperwork in front of him, but he couldn't keep his mind off what it was Lorna and Charles had said. He didn't want to lose John. He didn't want to watch him self-destruct. He didn't want him to go back to the life that Bobby had gotten him out of.

But he couldn't tell him that he loved him either.

He was ready to admit that his way of thought might be irrational. And he was ready to admit that maybe he really wasn't turning into his father. That maybe what Ronny kept telling him was the truth. 

But he still couldn't tell John that he loved him. He couldn't take the risk that he was right and they were wrong.

Bobby shoved all of that from his mind and focused on the paperwork in front of him, not realizing an hour had passed until the door to his office opened and John walked in with a tray of food. He stared at him for a moment before he realized that he only had one plate on the tray. “You're not going to eat with me?”

John set the tray down on the desk and bent to give Bobby a kiss. “I have to deal with stuff out front,” he said very unconvincingly.

“Johnny, what's wrong?”

“Nothing, baby,” John said, giving him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Just eat, okay? I'll send someone in after a while to get your plate.”

John turned around and walked out of the office, leaving Bobby sitting there wondering what had just happened. Except he knew what had just happened and the fact that John didn't want to spend time with him was his fault. He sighed heavily and reached for the tray, picking up the silverware and unwrapping the napkin. As he cut into his omelet, he told himself once more that he was doing the right thing. He had to be because he didn't want to hurt John. He never wanted to hurt John. 

But all he could think about was how he probably already was.


	25. Chapter 25

Warren walked onto the train and immediately headed towards an empty section of the car. He was not in the mood for random chat with strangers, and when the other person that had walked on with him sat down and put his headphones on, Warren took a deep breath and settled into the seat. He stared at his watch as the train started to move, hopeful that he'd be able to make it to the clinic and back to work before his lunch break was over. 

He pulled the folded up square of paper from his pocket and carefully opened it, reading the words for what felt like the billionth time. He appreciated the way that his ex had approached the subject, was glad that even with how things had ended between them that he still cared enough to warn him. But reading the words still hurt, far more than he was capable of forming into a coherent thought, and they brought back a plethora of memories, some he didn't mind reliving, others that he wished he could just forget. And that was before he even began to factor in how the news affected him. He hadn't even begun to contemplate that yet.

He folded the letter back up as the train approached his stop, sticking it in his back pocket as he stood up and made for the door. He walked out of the station and onto the street, glancing left before realizing he needed to go right, slowly making his way through the crowd of people and to the door of the clinic. He took a deep breath as he opened the door before walking inside and up to the check-in window. He smiled at the receptionist and grabbed a pen, signing his name onto the check-in sheet and ticking off the relevant boxes. He turned around and spotted an empty seat across the room, heading towards it.

“Warren?”

He spun around and came face to face with Jubilee, inwardly cursing his luck at running into someone he knew. “Hi, Jubes.”

“What are you doing here?” Jubilee asked, plucking a magazine off the wall rack and sitting down, motioning for Warren to join her. “Are you sick? You didn't look sick yesterday.”

Warren sighed heavily and collapsed into the chair next to her, running his hands through his hair. “Why are you here?” he asked, hopeful that Jubilee would just let his non-answer go.

“Oh, I'm here because I have a killer cold,” Jubilee said, opening the magazine and flipping through the ads. “I promised John and Bobby I'd get some medicine because I do not want to get either of them sick.”

“Oh, that's nice,” Warren said dumbly, letting his eyes slip closed, wishing that the ground would just open up and swallow him whole so he could avoid the rest of the conversation.

Jubilee put the magazine down and turned towards Warren. “Hey, why are you here? You didn't answer me.”

“I don't want to answer that,” Warren said, leaning his head towards Jubilee and staring at her. “And I don't want anyone to know that I'm here, so don't mention it later.”

Jubilee frowned. “Honey, what's going on?”

“I don't have to answer that,” Warren said, sighing heavily.

“Come on, Warren. You look miserable right now,” Jubilee said, a worried look on her face. “You look like you need to talk to someone about what's going on.”

“And that someone should be you, hm?”

“I'm the one that's here,” Jubilee sighed. “Look, whatever it is has you worried enough to be here right now about to talk to some stranger about it.”

“Well, I figured I should know for sure before I start worrying people.”

“Warren?” Jubilee asked carefully, reaching out and tangling their hands together. “Tell me, please, because I'm already starting to worry.”

Warren took a deep breath and squeezed Jubilee's hand lightly. “I got a letter from my ex last week.”

“And?”

“He was DJing some party out in Miami that was centered around testing, and so he got one for the first time.”

“The first time? You mean you two never...” Jubilee trailed off and lowered her voice. “Did he get the results yet?”

Warren nodded, swallowing hard.

Jubilee felt her breath catch slightly. “Did he tell you what it was?”

“He's positive, Jubilee.”

Jubilee pulled Warren's hand to her chest, clutching it tightly. “Honey, tell me that you've been tested since he left and that you're just here because you're scared.”

“I've never been tested either,” Warren admitted quietly. “Which is really, really extraordinarily motherfucking stupid of me, but it's the truth.”

Jubilee leaned forward and kissed Warren's forehead lightly, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “Oh, Warren.”

“I can't even tell you why I haven't ever done it,” Warren said, leaning into Jubilee's embrace. “It's just always been one of those things I kept putting off, and it wasn't like he was dragging me down here to have one either. But it's better to come to find out for sure than to be blissfully ignorant, you know? Even though I'd really rather be about a million other places than here at the moment.”

“But you guys used protection, right? Because if you did I think you're most likely alright.”

Warren let his eyes close and his head fall back on the chair. “No.”

“No?”

“I was young and dumb and stupid and extraordinarily stupid,” Warren murmured. “We never used protection. Not once. That first night neither of us had a condom so we just decided to fuck anyway and then it was just like we liked it bareback so why change that up? Like I said, young and dumb and stupid and extraordinarily motherfucking stupid.”

“How long was this relationship?” Jubilee asked carefully.

“Five years,” Warren breathed out. “Five years of unprotected sex, Jubes. And he has no idea when he was infected.”

Jubilee squeezed his hand again and glanced over at the check-in window. “I'm going to go tell them we want to go back together, okay? I'm not letting you go through this alone.”

Warren started to protest but stopped himself, slumping down in the chair and smiling shakily at Jubilee. “Thanks, honey. I really mean that.”

**********

“Alright, I've had enough of this,” Kurt declared, throwing his towel on the counter and glaring at Jubilee. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You have been super depressed ever since you went to the clinic.”

Jubilee shrugged and shook her head. “It's nothing, don't worry about it. Get back to setting up for tonight. There's a show so we're going to be extra busy.”

“I'll get back to work in a minute. And I am fucking worried about it, and it's clearly not nothing,” Kurt said, walking over to her and wrapping her up in a hug. “Tell me what's wrong.”

“No,” Jubilee said quietly. “Well, I mean, yes, but it's not about me.”

Kurt frowned. “Meaning?”

“No,” Jubilee said, pulling out of Kurt's embrace and turning towards the bar. “Look, I can't talk about this with you, alright? A friend of mine got tested and is worried about the result, and I promised him that I wouldn't say anything to anyone.”

“Which means it's someone I know because otherwise you would be totally telling me,” Kurt murmured, pondering Jubilee's words. “Is it someone who works here?”

“Kurt.”

“That means yes. Hm. Is it a member of the family?”

“Kurt, stop.”

“That's a definite yes,” Kurt said. “Well, it's not John because he's already found out that he's not positive. It's not Bobby because John's the only guy he's ever fucked. It's definitely not Peter because I'd fucking know about that. Who could it be?”

“Kurt, seriously, fucking stop.”

Kurt looked over at her and rolled his eyes. “Look, if someone that works here is positive, don't you think it is in all of our best interests to know it?”

“No, Kurt,” Jubilee said, cutting him off the moment he started protesting. “You know as well as I fucking do that disclosure of whether or not you are positive is entirely optional. Even among the family, it's completely optional. And quite frankly, I know and I wish I didn't.”

“It just freaks me out,” Kurt admitted quietly. “I mean, what if it's somebody I've slept with? What if that somebody breaks a glass and cuts their hand and I try to help and get their blood all over me? Getting infected is like my worst nightmare.”

Jubilee leaned over and brushed a kiss across Kurt's forehead. “Listen to me. Stop worrying about it. If he wants people to know, he'll tell them.”

“I'll try,” Kurt said, leaning over to kiss Jubilee back. “So cheer me up. Give me some good gossip or something.”

“Cheer you up? This conversation started because you thought I was depressed!” Jubilee laughed before glancing at Kurt again and sighing. “Alright, fine. I'll tell you what some of the queens got up to last night since it was your night off.”

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant just as the day shift was ending, and she took one look at Warren before heading straight towards him. Warren looked up as she approached, and Jubilee could tell by the look in his eyes that something was seriously wrong. “Honey? What is it?”

Warren let Jubilee wrap him up in a hug before burying his face in her neck and taking a shuddering breath. “I got the results about an hour ago.”

“And?”

“And it was a yes.”

Jubilee's arms tightened around him and she turned and brushed a kiss along his temple. “It's going to be okay, alright? I promise you that this is going to be okay.”

“I just got a death sentence, Jubes. How can it possibly be okay?”

'You know as well as I do that you're not going to die tomorrow,” Jubilee said softly. “You need to go back to the clinic and talk with a doctor and get on the medications that are necessary now.”

“I don't have money for all of that, Jubes,” Warren murmured. “I don't know what's going to happen because of it, but I know I can't afford all of that.”

“Then we'll figure this out, okay? We'll find a way to get you the help that you need.”

Warren pulled back and gave her a shaky smile. “Thanks, Jubes. I'm going to go home and drink myself to sleep.”

Jubilee gave him a soft smile. “Don't get so drunk that you can't come to work tomorrow.”

“I won't,” Warren said, leaning in to kiss her softly. “Thanks, Jubes. For everything.”

“No problem, honey,” Jubilee said, taking a deep breath as Warren walked away. She swallowed hard and looked around the restaurant, spotting John and Bobby in a booth across the room and heading towards it. She sat down in the bench across from them and tried to smile. “Hi.”

“What was that all about?” John asked. “Do you know why Warren has looked like shit since his break?”

“It's nothing,” Jubilee said, trying to brush it off. “It was just a phone call.”

“I'm not buying that for a second, Jubilation.”

“Fucking deal with it.”

“I didn't know you were Warren's confidante,” Bobby said, making Jubilee look at him. 

“I'm not. I was just in the right place at the right time.”

“So tell us what is going on then,” Bobby said. “Because Warren looks like death warmed over and I'm worried.”

“I cannot talk to you about that,” she said, reaching for a menu. “You'd think I'd have the new stuff on this memorized by now.”

“Jubes, come on. Bobby and I are worried.”

“I am not saying anything more than I have already said, so fucking deal with it. Talk about something else,” Jubilee declared.

“Alright,” Bobby said before John could argue with her some more. “We've noticed that you haven't been at the apartment in the morning for awhile.”

Jubilee couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. “I've been going home with Kitty. And it's been fucking amazing.”

“I'm happy for you, Jubes, I really am, but why aren't you coming back to the apartment?” Bobby asked.

“I do come back to the apartment. It's just after you two have left for work.”

“Which is exactly why you've been wearing the same four things over and over for the past few weeks,” John interjected. “You have not been coming back to the apartment.”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “It's fine. It's all fine.”

“We're just slightly concerned, Jubes,” Bobby said.

“If this is about rent, don't worry about it. I'll still be paying my part.”

“Will you be fucking honest with me for a moment?” John asked. “Do you want to live with them instead of us?”

Jubilee sighed and set her menu down. “Honestly? If things keep going the way they are going, then yes, I think that's going to happen. And you should be happy for me about that, not upset. You two can find another roommate.”

“Rent is not an issue,” Bobby said. “I am happy for you about that. And so is Johnny. Aren't you?”

“Of course I am,” John murmured. “I just didn't think there would come a day when we weren't living together, Jubes.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “It was going to happen at some point, John. I know that you and Bobby wouldn't want me there for the rest of your lives.”

John just shook his head. “Do not even go there right now.”

“I'm not going anywhere. I'm stating a fact.”

“You're a bitch.”

“And you're an asshole.”

“What is going on?” Bobby asked. “Because I am super confused right now.”

“Nothing,” John said, shaking his head. “Just something I've talked to Jubes about, that's all.”

Bobby frowned as he realized that John must talk to Jubilee about how he still hadn't told John that he loved him. “If you say so.”

John leaned over and kissed him. “It's nothing serious, okay? Just something I'd like to keep between the two of us for now.”

Bobby nodded and looked up as Ronny walked in. “Ronny's finally here.”

“Good,” Jubilee said, sliding further into the booth so Ronny could sit down. “Good evening, honey.”

“Hi Jubes,” Ronny said as he sat down. “How are you guys today?”

“Good,” Bobby said. “We were just discussing how Jubes wants to move in with Kitty and Piotr.”

Jubilee reached out and grabbed a sugar packet, tossing it across the table at Bobby. “Thanks a lot, asshole.”

“What? You honestly expect Ronny not to find out about that?” John asked, laughing. “As you constantly remind us, we talk about this shit.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “I haven't even brought up the subject with them. I definitely should not have brought it up with you.”

“It's alright, Jubes,” Ronny said. “They're not going to tell anyone.”

Jubilee glared at them across the table and Bobby nodded. “I'm not telling anyone a thing.”

“And neither am I, and you should have already known that,” John added.

Jubilee slumped back into the bench and sighed. “Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment.”

“Because of Warren,” John said.

“I told you, I'm not talking about that any more than I already have. I promised him that I wouldn't.”

“Fine,” John said, rolling his eyes. “I'll get it out of you eventually.”

“No, you really won't,” Jubilee said, picking up the menu again. “Anyway, yes, someday I would like to live with them. I'll help you guys find a new roommate.”

“I don't think we'd need a new roommate,” Bobby said. “I think we make enough money now to cover the rent between the two of us. I'm not living on a waiter's paycheck anymore.”

“I agree with that,” John said. “I'm making more money now than I was working for Erik and I'm not pissing it away in the club every night like I was before.”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “Sure, flaunt your wealth. I've been waiting for a raise from Charles for forever. I'm starting to think that won't happen.”

“I can bring it up with Charles if you want,” Bobby offered.

“That's alright, gorgeous. No need for that,” Jubilee said. “So, you two have the rent covered and you don't want another roommate. I sincerely hope that you'll do something other than fuck once I'm gone. You two fuck enough already.”

“Jubes!” Bobby exclaimed, making Ronny laugh.

“Have we not already covered that I know that you and John fuck?” Ronny asked. “Because we can talk about it again if you'd like.”

“No,” Bobby said seriously. “I just don't want it discussed in front of you. And Jubes, John and I do all kinds of things besides fuck.”

“Yeah, we really do,” John said. “And you fucking know that.”

Jubilee sighed. “Fine. You two go on dates and then you fuck.”

“Can we please stop talking about this?” Bobby asked, making all of them laugh. “Seriously.”

John leaned over and kissed him as Theresa approached the table. “Are you all ready to order or do I need to come back? I've never seen Jubes read the menu for so long.”

“I am ready to order,” Jubilee said. “Because ordering will change the subject.”

“Fine,” John said. “But I am getting this Warren stuff out of you.”

“No, you're really not.”


	26. Chapter 26

“Sean, I need you to cook!” John yelled the moment Sean walked in the door. “Warren's a no show again.”

Sean groaned as he approached the counter. “I am missing out on tips because of this. That means I'm probably not going to have money for rent.”

“You'll get a bonus,” Charles said, walking into the room. “And I'll pay your rent this month.”

Sean looked at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

“I take care of my employees,” Charles said firmly. “If you need help this month then I am going to help you.”

Sean broke into a grin. “I knew working for you was going to be amazing but I never imagined this.”

Charles laughed. “Yes, well, I take care of the family. And you're part of the family.”

“That means a lot, Charles,” Sean said softly. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Charles said. “Now get to work.”

Sean nodded and headed into the kitchen, and Charles turned to John. “No Warren again?”

“I got a text message saying he won't be here,” John said. “No explanation yet again.”

“Something is seriously wrong,” Charles murmured. “Warren is the most dependable guy in the family. He never does things like this. Ever.”

“I know,” John said. “I've been trying to get what's wrong out of Jubes since she is the only one he's talking to but she won't say a thing.”

Charles looked at him in surprise. “He's talking to Jubilee?”

“Yeah, whatever it is that's going on, she knows all about it. She keeps telling me that Warren just needs some time to work through things, but it's been two weeks and I really need my cook back. Sean is adequate but he's slow because he's not used to having to do this. People are waiting much longer for their food and they're complaining about it, but I keep telling them that things will change once Warren comes back. If he comes back.”

“Oh, he's coming back,” Charles said. “I don't care if I have to go beat down the door of his apartment. I am finding out what is wrong and getting him back here.”

“Well, if you find out, please let me know. Bobby and I are seriously worried about him.” John turned to look towards the door when it opened, sighing when he saw Peter walk in. “Peter, what have I asked about what you wear?”

“What?” Peter said, looking down at his outfit. “There's nothing wrong with this.”

“Children come in here with their parents and I can't have you walking around in a shirt that says fuck on it in big letters,” John said patiently. “And I have discussed this with you already.”

“But Kurt bought me all these amazing shirts!” Peter whined. “Where am I going to wear them if not here?”

“Wear them on your days off, Peter,” Charles said, “because John is right. You cannot work in that shirt.”

Peter pouted before Wanda walked into the room, shaking her head. “Are you wearing that fucking shirt again? I thought we talked about this.”

“You all are motherfucking assholes. I hope you realize that,” Peter declared. “Wanda, do you still have that extra shirt in your office?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Because I'm going to wear it today,” Peter said, walking towards the office hallway.

“Peter, that is a women's blue, flowery blouse that is probably too small for you.”

“I'll make it work!”

“You ruin that shirt and you're buying me another one!” Wanda called out.

“Fine!” Peter answered back before he disappeared into the hallway.

Wanda turned towards them and sighed. “One of these days he might start to understand how much he offends people with his clothes.”

“Probably not,” Charles said, shaking his head. “I'm going over to Warren's again. See if he'll answer the door this time.”

“He's not coming in again?” Wanda asked, groaning in frustration when John shook his head. “We need our cook.”

“I keep telling him that when he texts and says he's not coming in, but he's not listening to me,” John said, running his hands through his hair. “And I'm seriously sick of having to cover for Sean because he's covering for Warren. It's hard enough doing my job as it is, but doing it on top of waiting tables is a nightmare.”

“I'll wait the tables,” Wanda said, giving John a smile. “It's been a while since I've done that but it's not exactly something that you forget how to do. You manage the restaurant.”

“What about your job?” John asked.

“I don't have that much to do today. I can do both.” Wanda looked over at Charles. “If you do get to talk to Warren, let him know how much we all love and miss him, okay? It's strange to not have him around here.”

“I will,” Charles said, checking the time. “I'm heading over there now. I'll grab some coffee and a couple of pastries from the Summers' shop and try to get him to have breakfast with me.”

“Sounds good,” Wanda said, taking a deep breath when Charles walked out the door. “I am so motherfucking worried, John. Something really bad has happened. I just know it.”

“I know,” John said, coming over to give Wanda a hug. “I'm worried too. I keep trying to get the answers out of Jubes but she won't say a thing.”

“I cannot believe that the gossip queen that is Jubilation Lee is keeping something so important a secret. I mean, she is not Warren's confidante. She should be spreading the word about what's going on.”

“That's what Bobby and I keep telling her, but she's not listening.”

“I wish she was here so I could smack some sense into her.”

“Smack some sense into who?”

John and Wanda looked towards the door to see Jubilee walking in. “Into you, you fucking bitch,” Wanda said, spinning around and stalking towards her. “I need you to tell me what's going on with Warren. Now.”

“I can't,” Jubilee said seriously, shaking her head when Wanda glared at her. “I am not breaking Warren's confidence. I cannot tell you.”

“Don't you understand how important this is?”

“I understand exactly how important this is which is why I'm not telling anyone,” Jubilee said. “I just came in here for some breakfast before I went home but you know what? I'll go to fucking McDonald's instead.”

Jubilee turned around and left, and Wanda let out a frustrated scream. “I just want to know what's happening!”

“We all do, Wanda,” John said, glancing at the clock. “But right now we need to get ready to work. We open in twenty minutes.”

Wanda nodded and walked towards her office. “I'll go make sure Peter is dressed appropriately. You go get Sean to stop goofing off in the kitchen and get out here to prep the grill.”

“Deal.”

**********

Jubilee was two steps into the restaurant before Charles was suddenly in front of her. “My office. Now.”

She nodded and followed Charles towards his office, sitting down in a chair once they were inside. “What's up?”

“You're going to tell me what's going on with Warren,” Charles said, leaning up against his desk. “And no is not an option.”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “I can't, Charles. I cannot betray his confidence.”

“I will fire you.”

Jubilee stared at him in shock. “What?”

“If you do not tell me what is going on with Warren, you are looking for another job,” Charles said seriously. “I need to know, sweetheart. One of my children is hurting and I need to know what to do to help him.”

Jubilee sat there for a moment before reaching for her phone. “I will text him and ask if I can tell you. But if the answer is no, the answer is no.”

“Acceptable for the moment,” Charles said, running a hand through his hair. “Just answer me one thing in the meantime. It's bad, isn't it?”

Jubilee didn't look up from typing her message. “Well, it's not good, that's for sure.”

Charles sighed heavily. “I don't like this, Jubes. I really, really don't like this.”

“Well, neither do I,” Jubilee said seriously as she sent the text. “I wish this wasn't happening to him but it is and there's nothing I can do about it.”

“I should be really worried, shouldn't I?” Charles asked.

“I'm not going to lie,” Jubilee said, pausing when her phone went off. She read the message there for a moment before setting the phone in her lap and looking up at Charles. “I can tell you, but only if you promise not to tell anyone, not even Erik.”

“Swear it,” Charles said. “Tell me.”

Jubilee took a deep breath. “Warren found out that he's positive and he's not taking it very well.”

Charles stood there for a few moments before walking over to the other chair and collapsing down into it, burying his head in his hands. “Fuck.”

“Once he works through all of these feelings then he'll be back to work. But right now he doesn't know how to face the family and he's terrified of how everyone is going to treat him once they know.”

“He doesn't have to tell anyone,” Charles pointed out. “Disclosure is voluntary.”

“I know it is, but he said that he wants the family to know. He doesn't want to put anyone into a position where he can possibly infect them.”

Charles banged his hand hard against the arm of the chair. “He won't. And I fucking swear to God that if anyone gives him any shit for this whatsoever, their asses will be out on the streets.”

“You wouldn't have to do that,” Jubilee said quickly. “You can't anticipate how anyone is going to react.”

“I know that anyone making an issue out of this will be under violation of the voluntary disclosure policy and that is grounds for dismissal. I know you all think that's just something I say but I have the policy all written up and everything. I'm happy to show it to anyone who wants to look at it.”

“You really are serious about that, aren't you?”

“Yes, I am,” Charles said firmly. “I want to talk to him.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to talk to Warren. He needs to know that he's still welcome here and as a member of the family.”

“Charles, I don't know about that.”

Charles looked over at her. “He needs to know that he's still loved, Jubes. I need to talk to him. Will you please ask him if I can come over?”

Jubilee nodded after a moment and reached for her phone again. “Don't be surprised if the answer is no.”

“Then I'll keep trying until he lets me talk to him. I cannot explain to you how serious I am about that.”

Jubilee quickly typed out the message and reached over, putting a hand on Charles's shoulder. “It's okay, Charles. Warren is strong. You know he'll fight this.”

“I know he is,” Charles said, taking a deep breath. “And I will do everything I can to help him fight it too.”

Jubilee looked down when her phone went off. “He says he's at the apartment right now if you want to come over.”

“Then tell him I'm on my way,” Charles said, standing up. “Thank you for finally telling me, Jubes.”

“I only did it because he said I could,” Jubilee said, typing away. “And if he hadn't, I wouldn't have, not even to save my job.”

“I wasn't really serious about that,” Charles said, opening the office door. “It was just a threat.”

“Good to know,” Jubilee said, walking into the restaurant with Charles.

Charles grabbed Erik's arm as he walked past. “I'm going to go talk to Warren.”

Erik nodded. “Make sure knows that he's loved.”

“I will,” Charles said, walking off.

Erik turned to Jubilee and took in the look on her face. “Charles knows what's going on?”

Jubilee nodded. “Yes. And I can't tell you what's going on, Erik, so save the questions.”

“I'm going to find out eventually,” Erik said. “You can't keep this a secret for that much longer.”

Jubilee sighed as Erik walked away, heading over to a booth across the room. It was only a few minutes after she sat down that John was sliding into the booth across from her, dropping some menus down on the table. “Hi, honey.”

John took one look at her and sighed. “How bad is it, Jubes?”

“How bad is what?”

“What's going on with Warren. How bad is it?”

Jubilee sighed again. “I cannot tell you what is happening. And you know that.”

“I'm not asking what is happening,” John pointed out. “I'm asking how bad it is. I know it's bad. I just want to know how bad.”

Jubilee picked up a menu and started looking through it. “It's bad,” she eventually said. “It's pretty bad.”

John leaned back and ran his hands through his hair as Bobby sat down in the bench next to him. “Jubes, talk to us.”

“I can't, Bobby,” Jubilee stated. “And I really wish you would stop asking me that.”

“She just admitted that it's very bad,” John said. “And now I have about six million more questions but I know she won't answer them.”

“I probably have the same questions,” Bobby said as Kurt sat down next to Jubilee. “I didn't know you were joining us, Kurt.”

“I'm not,” Kurt said quickly. “I figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” John asked.

“What's going on with Warren. I figured it out.”

“I highly doubt that,” Jubilee said, still looking at the menu. “But please, do enlighten us.”

“I remembered that day behind the bar after you'd been to the clinic,” Kurt said, and Jubilee's grip on the menu visibly tightened. “You said that you were worried about a friend's HIV test. That friend was Warren, wasn't it?”

Everyone's eyes turned to Jubilee and she just raised the menu. “You know I can't answer that.”

“Which means it's yes,” Kurt said. “So that's why Warren's not around.”

“Well, I understand being worried about whether or not you're positive so I get it,” John said.

“But it only takes a few days to get the results of a test,” Bobby said. “This has been two weeks.”

Everyone's eyes turned to Jubilee again and she sighed. “You know I cannot answer these questions. But I will say that your assumptions may be correct.”

John's head fell back against the bench. “He's positive.”

“He must be freaking out right now,” Kurt said. “That's something seriously massive.”

“He's going to need all kinds of support from the family and instead of letting us give it to him, he's hiding away,” John said, running his hands through his hair. “Fuck.”

“He's going to need all kinds of financial support as well. The medical bills associated with this are not going to be cheap,” Bobby added. “We need to figure something out to help him with that.”

“And I need to make fucking sure that he knows that I'm not going to go nuts about this,” Kurt said. “He knows that my biggest fear is getting infected but fuck, I know that Warren making me breakfast or giving me a hug is not going to infect me.”

“Kurt!” came Peter's voice, and they turned to see him approach. “Come into the club with me.”

“I'm having an important conversation right now, love,” Kurt said, eyeing him in Wanda's blouse. “But I do have this ridiculous urge to rip that shirt off you so I will come with you.”

Kurt got up and walked away with Peter, and Bobby put his head on John's shoulder. “Jubes, what can we do to help?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Jubilee said, putting the menu down on the table as Theresa approached. “Because this conversation is over.”

John sighed and reached for a menu. “Then I guess I better decide what I want.”

“Good idea.”


	27. Chapter 27

John walked into the restaurant to find Warren standing at the grill, examining a pan. He stayed in the doorway as Warren picked up a spatula and ran his fingers along its edge before putting it in a different place, and John couldn't help but be relieved to see him back at the restaurant.

“I don't know who you have had cooking, but they are disorganized as fuck,” Warren said after a moment. “And I know you're there, John. I can see your reflection in the stainless steel.”

John walked behind the counter and immediately pulled Warren into an embrace. “I am so happy to see you.”

Warren took in a shuddering breath. “I know you figured it out so I just want to say thank you for not being too afraid to touch me.”

John tightened the embrace. “That is such motherfucking bullshit. I would never be afraid to touch you over this.”

Warren laughed as he pulled back, reaching up to wipe away the tears that had formed. “I just hope you're not the only one.”

“Warren,” John said, his voice soft. “No one is going to treat you any differently. And if they do, I am happy to knock them the fuck out for you.”

“You'll fire them is what you'll do,” came Charles's voice.

They both turned to see Charles walking into the restaurant, Erik right behind him. “Did you tell Erik?” Warren asked.

“No,” Charles answered. “I am leaving that to you as you requested.”

“Then can we go talk in your office, Erik? I need to tell you something.”

Erik nodded and they both headed towards the office hallway while Charles approached John. “Thank you for that,” Charles said, giving John a hug. “Your immediate acceptance will make this easier on him.”

“Does he really think that people are going to treat him differently?” John asked as he pulled back. “Because that's motherfucking bullshit.”

“He doesn't know how anyone is going to react and I can understand his worry. Anyone that gives him any shit over this, however, is in violation of the voluntary disclosure policy and that means that you fire them. I don't care who it is. If you control their job, you are the one who is going to take it away,” Charles said seriously. “Even if it's Peter. I will not tolerate that shit.”

“I'm not sure that's really necessary, Charles,” John said, but Charles just shook his head.

“I am so motherfucking serious that I will fire you if you don't do it,” he said firmly. “So don't make me fire you, John.”

“I won't,” John said. “I promise. But I don't think it'll be necessary.”

“Yeah, well, I'm not so sure about that. You know how much people fear to get infected.”

“They're not going to be infected by just touching him,” John said, shaking his head. “I think everyone is intelligent enough to know that.”

“Well, if they're not, then you fire them. And that's an order.”

“Yes, sir,” John said, looking over at Erik and Warren as they walked back into the room.

Erik nodded in Charles's direction and Charles walked over to Warren, grabbing him by the elbow before he could walk away. “Warren, I meant everything that I said yesterday. Everything. I've been meaning to do this for a while for all the employees and it's about time I actually do it. You are the first one it's going to happen with, okay? You need this more than any of them.”

Warren stood there blinking rapidly and swallowing hard before giving Charles a shaky smile. “I need to go to the storeroom and get some stuff that I need. Excuse me.”

They watched as Warren quickly walked into the back and as John turned to find out what Charles had meant, the door opened and Bobby walked in, yawning heavily and clearly still mostly asleep. “Bobby? What are you doing here?” 

“Thank you so much for coming in so early, Bobby,” Charles said before Bobby could answer. “I know that it's sudden but I feel like this new project I have for you will take a lot of work and I need you to get it started as quickly as possible.”

“What project is this?” Bobby asked, walking over to John and kissing him. “Good morning, Johnny.”

“Morning, baby,” John murmured, kissing him again.

“I want to provide health insurance for all the employees,” Charles said, making them both look over at him with wide eyes. “Everyone's getting a raise too.”

“What?” Bobby asked. 

“We're going to provide health insurance for all the employees,” Erik said, nodding. “And we mean that. It's time to take care of everyone, especially Warren.”

Warren walked back into the room at that moment and Bobby immediately walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. “I love you, Warren. This doesn't change that.”

Warren sniffled for a few moments before realizing that he couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and he buried his head in Bobby's neck and started sobbing. Bobby held him close and ran a hand up and down his back. “It's going to be okay, Warren. I promise you that it's going to be okay. We're going to take care of you. All of us.”

Peter and Sean walked into the restaurant, laughing at something one of them must have said, and they stopped immediately when they saw Warren sobbing into Bobby's shoulder. “What is going on?” Peter asked, walking over to Erik and Charles. “Dad? Charles?”

“Did you guys fire Warren?” Sean asked, walking over to the group as well. 

“No, no,” Charles said, shaking his head. “Warren is employed here for life as far as I'm concerned. He's part of this family and I'm not letting him go.”

Warren pulled himself together and moved away from Bobby, whispering thanks before turning to Peter and Sean as he wiped at his eyes. “Guys? Can I talk to you in the back for a minute?”

“What is going on?” Peter asked. “I am seriously worried at the moment.”

“Let's go into the back with Warren and find out,” Sean said, grabbing Peter by the elbow and walking him towards the door to the kitchen. “Come on, Peter.”

Warren gave them a shaky smile and turned to follow, disappearing through the door a moment later. When they were all out of the room, Bobby turned back to Charles and Erik. “I'll be glad to work on this health insurance project,” he said, “but this is not anything I have ever been trained to deal with. Health insurance is more of a human resources thing than a finance thing.”

“I will be happy to assist you in this,” Erik said. “I did some human resources stuff at the book company. I know a little bit of how to do this.”

“Then I will graciously accept your help because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be lost for a while,” Bobby said. “I will learn how to deal with it though. I'll do anything that helps Warren.”

“I'll help do all the research and make a final decision with Charles on what options to go with, and then I'll leave you to do the rest if you're comfortable with that,” Erik said. “I'll always be around for a bit of help too.”

“Thanks, Erik,” Bobby said. “I guess this makes me finance and human resources now.”

“I will take that into consideration when I figure out your raise,” Charles said, smiling at him. “Because I was serious about everyone getting one.”

Charles grabbed Erik's hand and pulled him into the office hallway so Bobby turned to John with a sleepy smile. “He called me right after you left or I would have just gotten up and come here with you.”

John reached out and pulled Bobby into his arms, and Bobby put his head on John's shoulder and closed his eyes. “I'm sorry you had to get up so early.”

“It's fine,” Bobby murmured. “I'll do anything that helps Warren.”

“I think everyone is going to feel that way,” John said softly. “And if anyone gives him any shit for this, I'm supposed to fire them.”

“What?” Bobby asked, lifting his head to look at John. “What are you talking about?”

“The voluntary disclosure policy,” John said. “Charles said anyone that gives him shit over this is in violation of it and I'm supposed to fire them if I control their jobs. Even Peter. And he threatened to fire me if I don't do it.”

Bobby just shook his head. “I really don't think it'll come to that.”

“Neither do I but you never know.”

Bobby put his head back on John's shoulder. “When you get everything set up and the restaurant's open, will you come bring me some breakfast?”

“Of course,” John said, brushing a kiss along Bobby's head. “What do you want?”

“Special's fine. I'd ask what it is but it's the same thing every day. I've known that since I started working here but I still don't know why.”

John laughed. “No one has told you? Really?”

“Nope,” Bobby said. “Why is that funny?”

“Warren lied to Charles to get a job here and told him he could cook,” John said, chuckling. “The only thing he was able to really make was eggs and so the special every day was eggs and bacon. But he slowly learned how to make an omelet too, so the special every day became a Spanish omelet. Warren can make everything on the menu with ease now, but the special still is, and probably always will be, a Spanish omelet, even at dinner. It's just sort of a thing now.”

Bobby laughed. “I didn't know that. I can picture Warren lying for a job though.”

“He was really in a bad place when he got a job here,” John said. “I think everyone was except for Peter, Wanda, and Lorna. Well, Lorna was in a bad place when she got her job back, but she was just a happy teenager before that.”

“That's how Charles and Erik became everyone's parents, isn't it? They saved us all.”

“I believe so. And yes, they saved us all from something. Maybe someday we'll learn all of the stories because I know I haven't heard some of them yet and you definitely haven't.”

“Theresa has only told me that she was disposed and despondent. I'm not even sure what that's supposed to mean.”

“She was sleeping rough in Tompkins Square Park,” John said softly. “She'd come into the club on free cover nights and try to get picked up by someone so she didn't have to sleep on a bench that night.”

“I had no idea,” Bobby murmured. “How'd she get the job?”

“Wanda found her changing her clothes in the restroom here early one morning and could immediately tell that something was wrong. They ended up sitting in there for hours talking and by the end of it, Wanda had given her a job and told her she could live with her until she was able to get a place of her own. Charles approved the moment he heard about it and gave her a bunch of money so she could get some better clothes for work. That's all I know.”

“Hearing things like that make me even happier that I chose to go into the club that night,” Bobby said. “Meeting you meant losing my job which meant coming back here because it was the only place I knew of that was looking for work and that ended up with me finding the family I always needed and this wonderful thing that we have going on. I don't know what I'd do if either one of those things goes away.”

“They're not going away, baby,” John said strongly. “This place and the family aren't going anywhere, and neither am I. I told you. It's you until you tell me you don't want it anymore. And it'll still always be you after that.”

Bobby raised his head and drew John into a deep kiss. “I'm never going to not want this. Not when it's like this. If it gets really bad between us then maybe, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. I adore you, Johnny. I want you around for a very, very long time.”

John swallowed down his disappointment at yet again not hearing Bobby say he loved him. “I love you, baby. More than I can even put into words.”

“I know,” Bobby said, kissing him again. “How are you handling this thing with Warren?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“I just thought that maybe it was bringing up some memories.”

John sighed heavily. “How did you know that?”

“I know you really well,” Bobby said. “So? Answer my question.”

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Some of the fear has come back, even though I know the answer to the question. But it's not really fear for me. It's fear for him.”

“We're going to keep him healthy,” Bobby said seriously. “We're going to do everything we can do.”

“I know,” John said, swallowing hard. “But we can't stop the inevitable.”

“Don't think about that, okay? That's not even an option at the moment and thinking about that will not help Warren.” John nodded and Bobby kissed him again. “Just remember that you know that isn't going to happen to you. Let the fear go.”

John nodded again. “I'll try.”

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

John laughed. “Yoda? You're really going to pull out a Yoda quote on me?”

“It's the truth though!” Bobby exclaimed before laughing. “You know what I meant by it.”

“Yeah, I did,” John said, shaking his head. “And I will do it. It just might take me awhile.”

“Any time you need to talk about it, I'm here.”

“I know,” John said softly. “And you have no idea how much I appreciate that.”

John pulled him closer and Bobby put his head on John's shoulder again. They stood there quietly for what felt like an hour before Bobby spoke. “We should do testing.”

“What?”

“Free testing for all of the employees. We should do that.”

John nodded. “Probably a good idea.”

“Maybe we should do more than that,” Bobby said. “Partner with one of the local clinics for a free testing drive or something. I mean, I know people say that they're clean, but how many people actually know that for certain? You didn't.”

John smiled. “I think that's a great idea. It might help Warren too. You should bring that up with Charles and Erik.”

“I think I will,” Bobby said. “After I sleep in my office for a while.”

“I think you're supposed to be working on this health insurance project,” John said.

“And I think I'm going to need to call Ronny before I do anything and he's definitely still asleep. I have absolutely no idea where to start and since his job is human resources, he'll probably be able to guide me in the right direction.”

“That is an excellent point,” John said, brushing a kiss along his temple. “I should probably go get Warren, Peter, and Sean because it's not that long until open and we need to get ready.”

“That's a good idea,” Bobby said, but he didn't move. “Johnny?”

“What, baby?”

“I would have wanted to be with you anyway, you know. If you were positive. I wouldn't have left.”

John smiled and brushed another kiss along Bobby's temple. “Thank you. I'm glad to know that.”

“It's about how someone is as a person,” Bobby murmured. “Not their HIV status. Maybe if someone starts giving Warren shit, remind them of that? I don't want you to have to fire someone. Especially someone in the family.”

“I might just do that,” John said, glancing over at the clock. “I really do need to get to work, baby.”

Bobby pulled back and kissed him again. “Alright, fine. Come wake me up and bring me some breakfast in a while.”

“I will,” John said, kissing him again. “I promise.”

Bobby started to walk away but John caught his wrist before he got too far. “Bobby?”

“What?”

“Thank you again for making me get tested,” John said softly. “I really never would have done it.”

“You're welcome,” Bobby said, smiling at him. “And I think Jubes would have said otherwise.”

“Just 'cause she said it doesn't mean I would have done it. She'd done that a lot before you came into my life. And she wasn't the only one.”

Bobby walked back to him and gave John a deep kiss. “Maybe we should get tested again. A show of support for Warren.”

“I like that idea,” John said, smiling at him. “Now go sleep. I've got to get to work.”

“I will,” Bobby said, giving him another kiss. “And I'm serious about breakfast.”

“I know you are. You're serious about breakfast every day.”

“At least it'll be back to normal now,” Bobby said as he walked away. “Sean's omelets were edible but definitely not the same.”

“I heard that!” Sean called out as he walked back into the restaurant, making Bobby laugh as he disappeared into the office hallway. 

“Where are Peter and Warren?” John asked. “Because we really need to get ready.”

“They're coming in a minute,” Sean asked. “Lorna came in through the back and Warren was telling her. Peter stayed for some support.”

John nodded. “You're cool with working with him, right?”

“Of course!” Sean exclaimed. “This doesn't change anything.”

“Good,” John murmured as he looked over at the clock. “Very good. Alright, we're going to go get them for the morning meeting because we're running out of time before we open and knowing some of those queens, they'll complain for hours if we open a second late.”

“You are right about that,” Sean said, turning to walk into the back with John. “Sophia didn't even give me a tip last time because it was six-oh-one on her phone when the door was unlocked.”

“Yeah, well, Sophia's a bitch,” John said. “Just remember that.”

“Trust me, I know.”


	28. Chapter 28

John opened his eyes and glanced at the clock, sighing heavily. He knew what day it was and he hated it. He absolutely hated it. So he hauled himself out of bed and into the shower, got himself dressed and ready for work, and brushed a kiss along a still sleeping Bobby's lips before grabbing his stuff and heading out of the apartment. 

Five minutes later, Bobby woke with a start to the feeling of someone shaking him, cracking his eyes open to find the lights of the room on and Jubilee sitting on the edge of the bed. “Jubes? What is it? Is everything okay?”

“Everything's fine,” Jubilee said, smiling at him. “Or well, everything is going to be fine once we make John actually enjoy today.”

Bobby blinked the last tendrils of sleep away and sat up, running his hands over his face. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Don't tell me that you seriously don't know what today is.”

“Apparently not?”

Jubilee just rolled her eyes. “I know he hates this day but seriously, John, you don't even think you can tell Bobby about this? Motherfucking idiot.”

“Would you like to fill me in on what he has apparently not told me or do I just get to sit here confused all day?”

Jubilee sighed. “It's John's birthday, Bobby.”

Bobby blinked several times. “What?”

“Today is John's twenty-sixth birthday,” Jubilee said, smiling at him. “So do you understand now why it's imperative that we get him to enjoy today?”

“How the fuck do you know that? He refused to even tell me the date when I asked him.”

“I know, he's particular about that,” Jubilee said. “But I got it out of him when he was drunk once and it's today. So we have to make him enjoy it.”

“Jubes, John hates celebrating his birthday. Why do you think that you're going to be able to get him to enjoy it?”

“I didn't say I was. I said we were. We need to do something special for him.”

“No,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “You and this celebrating birthdays thing has to stop.”

“I think it's absolutely ridiculous that you won't celebrate yours either. And I am so getting the date out of you someday so that I can force you to celebrate it too.”

“You are never getting my birthdate out of me and Ronny knows better than to tell you so don't fucking ask him,” Bobby said. “And Jubes, can't you just accept that it's a day that neither of us cares too much about?”

“Because it's important to mark that you've survived another year,” Jubilee stressed. “Especially John. His parents used to make huge deals out of his birthday. He needs a reminder that he doesn't need them to have a wonderful birthday.”

“I understand that, Jubes, but I don't want to upset John,” Bobby said, running his hands over his face again. “Look, I know how much John still isn't over his parents' rejection no matter how much he tries to make everyone think he is. And this is a day that reminds him of his parents a lot.”

“Bobby, you're wrong about that. He's over it.”

“He isn't, Jubes. He's told me as much.”

Jubilee sat there for a moment before speaking. “Really?” she said softly.

“Really,” Bobby said, nodding. “John admitted it to me one night when we were talking about my parents. I was completely shocked that he even brought it up, let alone actually spoke about it for a while.”

“What did he say?” Jubilee murmured. “Because he's constantly telling everyone that he's fine.”

“He told me that accepting that it happened is the first step in a very long road and that John can't tell me how long the road is because he still hasn't gotten to the end of it. He's been dealing with this for close to a decade, Jubes. And parts of him are still just as hurt as they were the moment it happened.”

“Fuck. I thought that things were okay.”

“I don't know that he'll ever be okay. Let's just say that I understand now why he remains so reluctant to talk about his parents when I try to get him to, and so I promised him that I would never try to make him talk about them again. He promised to do the same with me regarding my parents. It's just a very sensitive subject.”

“I understand that,” Jubilee said after a moment. “But I still think that we should do something special for him.”

“Jubes, let go of this, okay? John will not take this well if you push the issue. If John doesn't want to celebrate his birthday then we will not celebrate his birthday.”

“Fine,” Jubilee said, standing up. “But I consider this to be completely and utterly ridiculous.”

Bobby watched her leave the room before glancing over at the clock. He knew that attempting to go back to sleep was futile so he got out of bed and stumbled to the shower. He took his time getting dressed before leaving the apartment, and by the time he walked into the restaurant, he was finally fully awake. 

John glanced at the clock when Bobby walked in, sighing when he realized why he was likely awake. The moment that things calmed down, he made his way over to the booth where Bobby was sitting and slid into the bench next to him. “You're up early.”

“Good morning to you too,” Bobby murmured.

“Why are you here? You don't have to be here for another two hours.”

“Something woke me up and I just decided to come in instead of going back to sleep. There's stuff I can do.”

John sighed heavily. “Jubes woke you up, didn't she?”

Bobby nodded. “Yes, she did.”

“Fucking bitch,” John muttered. 

“She is not,” Bobby admonished. 

John reached out and pulled Bobby into a kiss. “Yes, it's my birthday. No, I don't care. And I hope Jubes hasn't talked you into anything.”

“She hasn't,” Bobby murmured, kissing him again. “I tried to tell her that this is a day better left uncelebrated but she probably wasn't deterred.”

“I'm sure she isn't,” John said, looking over at where a couple of the queens were harassing Sean. “I have to get back to work.”

“I'm going to head into my office, okay?” Bobby said, following John when he stood up. “Come talk to me later.”

Bobby was halfway through the doorway into the office hallway when Charles appeared out of nowhere, startling him. “Fuck, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” Charles said, smiling at him. “I wanted to talk to you about how the health insurance stuff is going.”

“Of course,” Bobby said, heading into Charles's office with him. “The plan that you and Erik picked out is almost implemented. I'm just waiting for the okay from the insurance company so that we can start signing up employees.”

“Good, good,” Charles said, sitting down at his desk. “Erik said there's going to be costs involved.”

“Yes,” Bobby said, sitting down as well. “There's a monthly fee for each person that signs up plus deductibles and medication costs. Stuff like that.”

“Then it needs to be announced that the company will pay for all of it.”

Bobby's jaw dropped. “You're talking about the potential for a lot of money being spent, especially with Warren.”

“I know. But I need to do this for the family,” Charles said. “Besides, the club revenues have almost tripled since it's now in a bigger space, and the addition of the second bar has made alcohol sales go up substantially.”

“I understand all of that, Charles. Restaurant revenue is up as well. But you need to think about how much money you want to spend if you want to maintain the amount of money in the accounts that you instructed me not to get below.”

Charles drummed his fingers against the desk for a moment. “I understand what you're talking about but I need to do this anyway. It's important to me for the family. I don't want them to have to spend a lot of money on this stuff.”

“But you're going to be spending a lot of money on that stuff then.”

“Something I will be happy to do,” Charles said, smiling at him. “Thanks, Bobby.”

“You're welcome, Charles,” Bobby said, standing up and walking out of the office. 

Bobby went into his office and sat down, reaching for his phone the moment it went off. He checked the text from Ronny before shaking his head and putting the phone back down. That was one thing he definitely didn't want to think about at that moment. He pulled out his laptop and signed in, tried to concentrate on the day's work, but Ronny kept texting him with the same message, and he finally snapped and texted him back, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was not appreciating the constant reminders. He put his phone on silent after that and turned back to his work, determined to ignore it for the rest of the day.

John finally came into the office just as Bobby was preparing to head out to the restaurant to get him so they could go home. He stood and walked over to him, kissing him softly as John's arms went around him. “Mmm, hello.”

“I'm sorry I didn't get in here today but we were super busy with some seriously bitchy queens,” John said, kissing him again. “I am very much ready to go home now.”

“Then that is what we'll do,” Bobby said, reaching for John's hand and leading him out of the restaurant. They were a couple of blocks down the street before he spoke again. “We should go to that restaurant we went to on our first date for dinner.”

John stopped walking and watched Bobby take another couple of steps before he turned back around. “You're trying to get me to celebrate my birthday, aren't you?”

“No, I'm not,” Bobby said, walking back towards him. “I'm trying to get you to celebrate the fact that you've survived another year.”

“Which is always Jubilee's bullshit reason for why I should celebrate my birthday,” John said, crossing his arms over his chest. “What is going on? You promised me that you would never do this to me.”

“I'm just trying to get you to look at your birthday the way that I look at my birthday,” Bobby said plainly. “I have been celebrating the fact that I have survived another year and that I get to spend my time with you. That's how I really want to celebrate my birthday this year.”

John just shook his head. “Since you now know my birthday, does that mean you're going to tell me yours?”

Bobby just smiled at him. “We were born on the same day.”

John rolled his eyes. “Don't bullshit me in an attempt to get me to celebrate my birthday, Bobby.”

“I'm not,” Bobby said, pulling out his phone and opening up his texts from his brother. “Ronny has been texting me Happy Birthday all day.”

Bobby handed the phone to John and John looked down at the texts, scrolling through them. “Today really is your birthday?”

“Today really is my birthday,” Bobby confirmed. “Now can we please go to the restaurant? I'd like to have dinner with you.”

John nodded. “If that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll do.”

“Thank you,” Bobby said, taking John by the hand. “Let's go.”

It was a couple of blocks before John spoke again. “I will always be willing to celebrate the fact that we're here together, baby.”

Bobby just smiled. “Good, Johnny. Very good.”

**********

Bobby was getting the coffeemaker in the kitchen ready for the morning when John walked up next to him, leaning up against the counter. “I hate this coffeemaker.”

“We need to buy a new one then,” John said, staring at him. “Thank you for making me go to dinner tonight.”

“I just thought it would be nice. We don't have to tell Jubes that we did it.”

“It was a nice break after a long day and, you're right, there is something to celebrate about this day. Just not what I used to.”

“My mother used to shower me in gifts,” Bobby said softly. “My father hated it, but my mother wouldn't listen to him. Any present-giving holiday was full of all kinds of gifts.”

“No wonder you don't like gifts anymore,” John murmured. “I'm basically the same way. My parents loved to give me a ton of gifts. An only child, you know, so they had no one else to concentrate on. My birthdays were huge events. I just want to completely forget about it now.”

Bobby reached out to press buttons on the coffeemaker. “I will never make you celebrate your birthday. I will just request that we at least have dinner to mark the fact that we've spent another year together.”

“I can agree to that on one condition.”

“What?”

John leaned closer, moving Bobby's hand away from the coffeemaker and using it to turn Bobby so he had his back to the counter. John moved to cover him, trailing a finger down Bobby's chest to the waistline of his pants. “We let the real celebrations happen here.”

“Johnny,” Bobby got out before John caught his lips in a forceful kiss. 

John broke the kiss and grinned at him before attaching his lips to the side of Bobby's neck, nipping gently. “Will you let me mark you?”

“I don't like it when you do that,” Bobby breathed out as John ran his tongue up and down the skin there.

“I know,” John murmured. “That's why I'm asking for permission.”

Bobby sucked in a couple of deep breaths before nodding and turning his head so John had better access to his neck. John immediately attacked the spot that he'd chosen, nipping and sucking until he saw a deep purple bruise when he pulled back. He ran his tongue over the spot one more time before pulling back completely, looking at Bobby with such love in his eyes that Bobby's breath caught in his throat. 

“I want you,” John said, and Bobby just smiled.

“Then have me.”

John drew Bobby into a deep kiss as his hands went to the buttons of Bobby's shirt, quickly undoing them and divesting him of it. Bobby's hands were at John's belt, fumbling around with the buckle until he got it undone and pulled free. John danced his fingers along Bobby's skin, grinning into their kiss every time he hit a particularly sensitive spot. He pulled back and whipped his own shirt over his head, giving Bobby the space he needed to get John's pants undone and shoved down. John reached for Bobby and shoved his pants down as well, and then he was lifting Bobby and backing him up against the nearest wall.

“Not in the kitchen,” Bobby got out as his legs wrapped around John's waist. “And preferably not against the wall either.”

“Whatever you wish,” John said, crashing their lips together in another kiss. 

Bobby shuddered against him when John's arms wrapped tightly around his waist, gasping when John pulled him away from the wall and started stumbling towards their bedroom. He laughed as they finally made it inside and John dropped him onto the bed, quickly making his way over to the bedside table to grab the lube and a condom. When he turned back to Bobby, Bobby had a hand wrapped around his cock and was slowly stroking himself. 

“Fuck, you're so sexy,” John mumbled as he tossed the supplies onto the bed next to him and climbed back onto it. “But I'm the only one allowed to touch you.”

“Oh is that so?” Bobby asked playfully, putting both of his hands behind his head. “Then touch away, Mr. Allerdyce.”

John groaned at the shiver that went down his spine. “I never knew that was a kink until right now, I want you to know.”

“Then I'll have to remember that, Mr. Allerdyce.”

John reached out and smacked Bobby's shoulder lightly before drawing him into a sweet kiss. “Keep your hands there or I'm torturing you.”

“I will. I promise.”

John trailed kisses down Bobby's body, pausing to pay attention to the sensitive areas that his fingers had found earlier. When he was level with his dick, John bent down and let his tongue slide over Bobby's balls before taking one into his mouth, drawing a delicious moan from Bobby's lips. He could tell Bobby was impatient and wanted to grab onto his head and guide him, but Bobby kept his hands behind his head as he'd promised. John kissed his way up Bobby's shaft and wrapped his lips around the head, gently sucking as he looked up at him. Bobby's eyes were wide and wild, and John let out a small laugh at the fact that he was like that for him, that he was the only one who had ever seen him like that. Bobby would never know how much that meant to him. 

He licked at the slit, tongue delighting in the taste of the small amount of liquid that had escaped from the hole. Swirling his tongue around the head for a moment, he pulled back and kissed and nipped his way down and back up, and he could feel Bobby shaking from his arousal. 

“Please, Johnny,” Bobby begged as he writhed against the bedsheets, hands still behind his head. “Please.”

John took him deep, bobbing his head up and down, using every trick he knew to draw Bobby to the edge. Bobby was moaning and whining above him, but a quick glance showed him that Bobby was still keeping his hands behind his head. He decided it was time to reward Bobby for keeping his promise, so he took him all the way down and swallowed, Bobby crying out his name as he came deep in his throat. 

John pulled back and looked down at him, seeing the flush of arousal and the need still written across Bobby's face. He took Bobby's legs and pulled them up, reaching for the lube and slicking up his fingers. He teased Bobby's entrance before sliding a finger inside of him, eliciting a loud moan from Bobby's lips. He moved the finger in and out several times before adding another, scissoring them a few times before searching for Bobby's prostate. Frowning when he didn't find it, he pushed another finger into him and crooked them all around, grinning when Bobby suddenly swore loudly. “There it is.”

“Just do it,” Bobby pleaded. “Please, Mr. Allerdyce.”

The sound of his name said that way shot straight through John to his dick, and he pulled his fingers out of Bobby and quickly reached for the condom, ripping into the package and sliding the latex over his cock. He slicked it up as best he could before lining himself up. “Ready?”

“Fuck, yes, just do it already, fuck,” Bobby moaned out as John started to push into him.

“So tight, baby. You're so tight,” John breathed out as he slowly buried himself.

Bobby savored the feeling for a moment before gently kicking John in the arm. “Fucking move.”

John pulled almost completely out and slammed back in, grinning when Bobby screamed, knowing that he'd hit his prostate on the first try. John kept the angle and pounded into it, incoherent moans spilling from Bobby's lips with every thrust. John could tell that Bobby wanted desperately to wrap a hand around his own cock, but he kept to his word and left his hands behind his head. He fucked him hard and fast, losing himself in the pleasure of it. “You are so fucking good.”

“I'm gonna,” Bobby got out. “I need to...”

“You promised,” John reminded. “Don't break your promise.”

Bobby threw his head back and whined. “Please touch me, Mr. Allerdyce. Please.”

John felt pleasure rocket through his spine and took pity on him, wrapping a hand around Bobby's cock and slowly moving it up and down. That's all it took and Bobby came hard, coating his stomach in white spurts. John managed a couple more thrusts before his orgasm hit him, taking in shuddering breaths as he sank down on top of Bobby. 

When John came back to himself, he frowned when he realized that he wasn't feeling Bobby's hands run through his hair like normal. He glanced up at him to find that Bobby's hands were still behind his head, and John felt a wave of arousal shoot through him again. Bobby smiled at him and John drew him into a deep kiss, licking into his mouth and playing around with Bobby's tongue. “You kept your promise,” he murmured when he pulled back.

“I did,” Bobby said, nodding.

“And you still haven't moved your arms.”

“Well, Mr. Allerdyce hasn't given me permission to move them yet,” Bobby breathed out. “And tonight is about whatever it is Mr. Allerdyce wants.”

“You calling me that might be the sexiest thing I've ever heard.”

“So long as it gets me sex like that, I'll call you that every night if you want.”

“No,” John said, shaking his head. “Only for special nights like this.”

Bobby smiled. “This is a special night, hm?”

“It's our birthday,” John said, smiling at him. “And I think this is the only way we should ever celebrate them. Dinner out and then back here to fuck all night.”

“I think that sounds like a plan, Mr. Allerdyce,” Bobby said, laughing when John nipped at his chest. “So if the plan is to fuck all night, am I going to receive permission to move my hands yet?”

“I quite like that you're doing this,” John murmured, kissing Bobby soundly. “And no.”

Bobby just grinned at him. “Then I look forward to whatever happens next, Mr. Allerdyce.”


	29. Chapter 29

Bobby woke to the feeling of light kisses on his neck and a smile spread across his face. “Mm, good morning.”

“Morning,” John murmured into his skin, nipping slightly at the base of Bobby's neck. “I woke up with this absolute need to have you writhing beneath me. Interested?”

Bobby blinked open his eyes and glanced over at the clock. “It's four a.m., Johnny.”

“Like that's ever stopped us before,” John said. “Come on. Today's special.”

“I'm super tired. Can't this wait until later?”

“I'm more than happy to do this again later, but I want to do it now too,” John said softly, bending down to kiss along Bobby's neck again. “Come on, we've got to celebrate.”

“What exactly are we celebrating?” Bobby asked before yawning, turning his head so he could look at John. 

“Seriously?” John asked, sighing when Bobby just gave him a blank stare. “I cannot believe that I know this and you don't.”

“I am really confused right now,” Bobby murmured. “And I'm really sleepy too.”

“Baby,” John said as he pulled Bobby's hips back against his own. “Celebrate with me and I'll explain it to you.”

Bobby moaned when he felt John's cock against his ass, realizing that John was already hard. “How long have you been trying to get me to wake up?”

“A half an hour, at least,” John said, kissing Bobby's shoulder. “Come on. Celebrate with me.”

Bobby looked at him for a few moments before nodding. “Fine, but I want to know what we're celebrating.”

“I will tell you once we're done,” John said, letting a hand trail up to pinch one of Bobby's nipples. “Roll onto your back.”

Bobby did as John asked and he smiled as John slid in between his legs. “I am very curious about this thing that we're celebrating that I apparently know nothing about.”

“And I am very curious as to how you don't remember this,” John said, bending down to kiss Bobby sweetly. “You remember everything.”

“I do not remember everything,” Bobby protested.

“Bobby, you can probably name what you had for lunch on a Wednesday two months ago. You remember everything.”

Bobby went to protest again but gasped instead as he felt John's hand wrap around his dick. “Holy fuck, when did you lube up your hand?”

John laughed as he began to stroke him. “About five minutes ago. That was what I was going to try next.”

“I'm not sure I even want to know what you've already tried,” Bobby said before letting out a long moan.

John bent to kiss him again, this time harder than before. One of Bobby's hands came up to hold him there and they kissed lazily, both smiling when they broke apart. 

“I adore you,” Bobby said before moaning loudly as John thumbed his slit. “I have more feelings for you than I could possibly ever admit to.”

“Why not?” John asked, trying desperately to not be disappointed at hearing the word adore again.

“Why not what?” Bobby asked, another moan escaping him as John's hand picked up the pace. “Oh fuck, you feel good.”

“Why won't you let yourself admit to your feelings towards me?” John asked, taking a deep breath. He knew they were edging into dangerous territory but he couldn't stop himself from saying what he was thinking. “I really hate the word adore now, you know.”

Bobby let his eyes meet John's. “Right now? Really?”

“It has to happen sometime,” John murmured. “I tell you I love you and I get 'I adore you' in return. You have to understand that hurts.”

Bobby let his eyes close and he swallowed hard. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes and then he sucked in a deep breath. “My father. I'm trying to work through it. And that is all that I'm saying on this subject. Can you please get back to fucking me now?”

John stared at him for a moment before realizing that he'd stopped moving his hand. “Thank you,” he mumbled as he restarted the motion.

“For what?” Bobby moaned. “Fuck, Johnny, just get on with it already.”

John shook his head but he moved his hand away and shifted Bobby's legs around, spreading them further apart. “Thank you for letting me know that there's an actual reason and that you're not just leading me on."

Bobby's hand grabbed John around the wrist when he reached for the lube, waiting until John was looking him in the eyes to speak. “I'm not leading you on, Johnny. This is what I want. You are what I want. And I know how I feel, I do. I think you know how I feel too. I just...I need to work through it. I'm sorry.”

John took a deep breath. “I really needed to hear that.”

“Well, it's the truth,” Bobby said softly. “And I can't imagine there will be a day when I don't want this either. You've given me everything, Johnny. I would be absolutely, totally miserable still if it wasn't for you. That night we met was the best night of my life.”

John allowed himself a laugh. “And yet you still don't know what we're celebrating.”

“I might if it wasn't four a.m. and I had a calendar in front of me,” Bobby said, smiling at him.

John shook his head and reached for the lube. “Nope. You have to think about this without the date in your mind. And I'm surprised you haven't been anticipating this day the way I have.”

Bobby sighed heavily. “This is something important, isn't it?”

“I'd certainly say so,” John murmured as he flipped open the lube.

“I'm sorry I don't remember and I'm sure I'm going to feel like an idiot once you tell me,” Bobby got out before gasping as a finger slid into him. “How is this always so incredible?”

“Because it's sex. Sex is always incredible. Always has been.”

Bobby forced himself to take a deep breath as John moved his finger in and out. “Sex definitely has always been amazing. I guess that's a by-product of all your experience.”

“No, baby. It was never incredible like this before,” John mumbled as he added a second finger. “That's all down to you.”

Bobby moaned loudly as the fingers brushed against his prostate. “Oh, holy fuck.”

John kept his fingers there and massaged it gently, making Bobby writhe against the sheets. “You are so gorgeous like this. I wish I could keep you like this all the time. I'd tie you to the bed if I could.”

Bobby gasped for breath when John moved his fingers away, panting heavily until he was able to speak. “You are a lousy motherfucker. And I believe you have threatened to tie me to your bed and never let me go ever since that first night.”

John pulled his fingers out and reached for a condom. “I think you are right about that. I can't believe you remember that but not this.”

“Will you just tell me already?”

“Not until we've celebrated,” John said, smiling at him as he slid the condom on. “That was the deal.”

Bobby watched John slick up the condom and position himself. “I wish I knew what we were celebrating. I might enjoy this more.”

John bent to kiss him as he slowly slid into Bobby's tight heat. He stayed still to allow Bobby to adjust to the intrusion before deciding to take pity on him. He broke their kiss and smiled down at him. “Two years ago tonight, we did this for the first time.” And then he started to thrust.

Bobby's head became a mix of remembrance and pleasure, and it was almost instantly too much to take. “Oh, fuck,” he managed as John changed the angle and started thrusting into his prostate. “Motherfucking fuck.”

John grinned as Bobby became more and more incoherent, bending down to kiss him sloppily. “That night didn't just change your life,” he murmured. “It changed mine too. And I maintain the fact that part of me has been in love with you since that first night. It's the only thing I can think of to explain how you got under my skin when I was an expert in not letting that happen.”

“Guh,” Bobby managed as a response, and it made John laugh.

“God, I love you so much,” John said, thrusting faster and letting the passion and pleasure take over.

Bobby managed to wrap a hand around his cock, stroking it hard and fast in time with John's thrusts. It wasn't long before he was crying out and white streaks coated his stomach. John took in the sight before him and managed a few more thrusts before he came hard, dropping down onto Bobby and sucking in breaths sharply.

“I'm sorry I forgot,” Bobby said once he felt like he could breathe. “That's something I should never forget and I forgot it and I will never forgive myself for this. Ever. You deserve so much bet—”

John cut him off with a searing kiss. “Don't do that to yourself, baby. It's fine.”

“It shouldn't be,” Bobby started, and John shut him up with another kiss.

“I'm not mad, so don't be mad at yourself, okay?”

Bobby saw the honesty in John's eyes and allowed himself a smile. “I can't believe it's been two years. Sometimes it feels like it's been two minutes. It feels like everything has happened so fast.”

“I know what you mean,” John said, shifting around until he was laying next to him on the bed. He quickly took care of the condom before relaxing against the mattress. “It's been a good two years though. I don't even want to think about what a miserable existence I'd be living in if we hadn't met that night.”

Bobby reached out and tangled their fingers together, making John turn and look at him. “I think we saved each other from pretty horrible lives. I'm really glad about that.”

“So am I,” John murmured, leaning over to kiss him. “I'm sorry I was late.”

“Late?” Bobby asked, confused.

“I wanted to time everything to be around the same time as when we first did all of this but I slept too long.”

Bobby smiled and pulled John into a deep kiss. “It's perfectly fine, Johnny. It's not like I was awake either.”

“I did make sure that Jubes wasn't here before I tried to wake you up. I didn't want to break our pact, even for this.”

“That was about to be my next question,” Bobby laughed. “I was about to have a panic attack if she was here.”

“Nah, I wouldn't have done this if she was here. We would have just waited until tonight.”

Bobby relaxed and felt his eyes close. “I was sleepy before but I'm exhausted now.”

“Then go to sleep, baby.”

“You too,” Bobby yawned. “And be sure the alarm is set. We've got to be at the restaurant in time for the meeting.”

“Only Wanda would make us come in on a Sunday morning for a fucking employee meeting,” John said as he reached for his phone. “Alarm is set.”

“Good,” Bobby murmured. “Now let's sleep.

John reached for the blankets and pulled them over the top of them. “I love you, baby.”

“And I adore you, no matter how much you hate me saying that.”

“It's okay. It's better than you saying nothing at all.”

“I'm working on it. I promise.”

“I certainly hope so.”


	30. Chapter 30

Bobby and Jubilee were in the middle of a conversation when Ronny dropped down into the booth next to Jubilee. “Good morning, though why we're meeting so fucking early on a Sunday is beyond me. I should be sleeping for at least another three hours.”

“Oh, like Abigail didn't wake you up to go to the gym,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “You guys fucking exercise at five a.m. every fucking day.”

“Abigail is currently in Oregon. She went to visit her cousins. I would have gone but I can't take any fucking time off because I already used up all of my vacation days when we went to Mexico.”

“I'd like to know how you afforded a trip to Mexico when it wasn't that long ago that you were complaining that you barely had enough money to eat,” Jubilee said. “Because whatever your secret is, I want it so Kitty, Piotr, and I can go to Mexico.”

“Sorry, Jubes, but my secret isn't possible for you.”

“Then what the fuck is it?”

Remy sighed and looked at Bobby. “I got my inheritance.”

“You got that?” Bobby asked, surprised. “I thought for sure that you'd be cut out. I'm a million percent sure that I was.”

“Grandma loved us,” Ronny replied. “And she was furious with Mom and Dad over how they reacted to you telling them the truth. So I highly doubt that she cut you out of her will. You should talk to the lawyer.”

“And when were you planning to mention that?” Bobby asked. “Because you went to Mexico a month ago.”

“The next time we were alone and face to face,” Ronny said defensively. “I didn't think this was a conversation to have in front of others. I only brought it up now because I had to after Jubilee's question.”

“If you don't mind me asking,” Jubilee interjected, “what kind of money are we talking here?”

“Enough that Abigail and I are looking at houses in Brooklyn and I'm thinking of getting a new car,” Ronny said, picking up his menu. “I really don't ever have to work again either, but I'd be bored as fuck if I had nothing to do during the day for the rest of my life.”

Jubilee's jaw dropped. “Are you fucking with me?”

“Nope,” Ronny said. “Bobby's inheritance is probably bigger than mine. He was her favorite.”

Jubilee stared at Ronny for a few moments. “You're actually being serious.”

“I'm actually being serious.”

“Fuck,” Bobby said, running his hands over his face. “I don't know what to do with this information.”

“What you need to do is call the lawyer.”

“Where did all this money come from?” Jubilee asked.

“My grandmother wrote trashy romance novels under a pseudonym,” Bobby explained. “They were very successful and she made a lot of money. A LOT of money.”

“And since Bobby and I were her only grandchildren, that means we get really large chunks of it,” Ronny finished. “As I said, you should call the lawyer.”

“Call a lawyer about what?” John asked as he sat down next to Bobby. “And good morning, Ronny.”

“Morning,” Ronny said. “And Bobby needs to call my grandmother's lawyer about his inheritance.”

John gave Bobby a confused look. “I thought you said you wouldn't get any.”

“That's what I thought until Ronny started talking about his. Now I think it's possible that I might.”

“It's worth a phone call at least, surely,” Jubilee said.

“I'll call,” Bobby said, picking up his menu. “Let's talk about something else.”

“Such as?” Jubilee asked.

“Such as the fact that you haven't been at the apartment for at least a month.”

“Yes, let's talk about that,” John said, looking over at Jubilee. “You're already living with them, Jubes. Why not make it permanent?”

Jubilee sighed heavily. “We're talking about it but we don't want to do something to ruin things.”

“You've been saying that for six months,” John pointed out.

“I know, I know,” Jubilee said, sighing. “I just don't want to ruin things.”

“You won't,” Ronny said. “I know you aren't going to let that happen.”

“I agree,” Bobby said. “You three want this to work too much for that to happen.”

“And what happens when we decide living together isn't a good idea?” Jubilee asked. “I'd be out on the streets.”

“You would not,” John admonished. “And if that happens, which I'm sure it won't, then you'd just move back in.”

Jubilee looked over at Bobby and he nodded. “I have no issue with that. It's not like John and I need another roommate. We'll just leave that room open for guests or you.”

“You guys would do that for me?”

“Of course, we would,” John replied. “We love you, Jubes.”

“Then I'll bring it up the next time I see them.”

“No, go call them now.”

“John.”

“I'm serious, Jubes.”

“He's right,” Bobby said. “Go call them now. You'll feel better once you do.”

“It's just...” Jubilee sighed. “I don't want to do this too fast and it feels like you are forcing me to.”

“Once upon a time, you forced me and Bobby to live together and that worked out fine,” John pointed out. “Besides, you already know this is going to work and you know it.”

Jubilee sat there for a moment before shoving at Ronny's shoulder. “Let me out. I'm not calling them in front of all of you.”

Ronny slid out of the booth and smiled at her. “This will go fine, Jubes.”

Jubilee stood up and took a deep breath. “I hope that you are right about that.”

Ronny sat back down as she walked away. “Reminds me of when I asked Abigail to move in. That was terrifying.”

Bobby laughed. “And now you're looking at houses in Brooklyn. Why Brooklyn?”

“Closer to the hospital where she works,” Ronny said. “Plus the neighborhoods we're looking in are less expensive than trying to buy something around here.”

“I wouldn't know anything about that,” John said. “I've never paid attention to anything but rent.”

“You're lucky that's all you have to worry about. You've got a great apartment in a great building in a great neighborhood. My apartment is horrible.”

“I've seen worse,” John said. “I've lived in worse.”

“I'm sure you have,” Ronny said. “Bobby got fucking lucky getting that place.”

Bobby laughed. “I only got that apartment because of Grandma. She paid the deposit and the first six months of rent and utilities for me and Marie so we could get on our feet before having to deal with stuff like that.”

“You've never told me that! She didn't do that for me!”

“As you said, I was her favorite,” Bobby said, laughing again. “Plus, you were in Boston. Boston is cheaper to live in.”

“Not by much, but still,” Ronny said, shaking his head. “Anyway, I'll text you the lawyer's information when I get home. I don't have it on me.”

“Are you going to actually call?” John asked softly. “Because you swore to me that you wanted nothing to do with your family again. Ronny excluded, of course.”

Bobby took a deep breath and nodded. “If I'm entitled to that money then I should get it. My grandmother would have wanted that.”

“If you're sure,” John said, leaning back against the bench. “That money will change your life. No need to work.”

“Our lives,” Bobby corrected. “It'll affect you too. And I'd do what Ronny's doing and work anyway. I don't think that I could stand doing nothing all day.”

“Exactly my point,” Ronny said. “But I need to look for a new job. Mine is awful.”

“You keep saying that and you never do,” Bobby said.

“You try finding a job that wants your experience and will pay you for it. If I'm going to work, I want to be fairly compensated for it.”

“Well, you've definitely got experience,” John said. “Bobby is always telling me how you've helped with something to do with the human resources stuff.”

“And I'm more than happy to continue helping any time you need it, Bobby. But I seriously need a new job.”

An idea popped into Bobby's head and he pushed at John's shoulder. “Let me out.”

“Where are you going?” John asked, standing up.

“I need to ask Charles something. I'll be right back,” Bobby said, standing up and giving John a quick kiss.

He walked into the office hallway and knocked on Charles's office door, entering when he heard the permission. “Morning, Charles.”

“Bobby, good morning,” Charles said, looking up at him. “I hope you are enjoying your breakfast.”

“The restaurant is so busy that Sean hasn't even been over to take our order, to be honest,” Bobby said, sitting down. “I have a question. Well, a proposal.”

“My curiosity is piqued,” Charles said, smiling at him. “What can I help you with?”

Bobby took a deep breath. “I have been trying hard to do the human resources part of what you're asking me to do, and it's really quite overwhelming.”

“But you're doing a great job,” Charles said. “Everyone is covered now thanks to your work and I am so happy about that.”

“Thank you but I really am struggling,” Bobby said. “I'm calling Ronny at least twice a day if not more. Which comes to my proposal.”

“Which is?”

“Hiring Ronny to do all the human resources stuff,” Bobby said, pausing to take another deep breath. “He knows far more about what to do than I do and I feel like things would get done in a much more timely manner if he just did them instead of him trying to talk me through them.”

“Hm,” Charles murmured. “I thought Ronny had a good job.”

“He does, but he's got a horrible boss and he's not being fairly compensated for what he does. He's been looking for another job but no one wants to pay him fairly for his experience either.”

“And what exactly is fair?”

“Around what you pay me,” Bobby replied. “Plus I thought that since he's a member of the family you might be more inclined to doing this for me.”

Charles sat there for a moment, drumming his fingers against the desk before smiling. “I think this is a good idea. And if Ronny does not want the job then we'll advertise for an HR person. I don't want you so overwhelmed.”

Bobby sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

“You thought I'd say no, didn't you?”

“I thought it might be a no. I wasn't sure.”

“I help out the family, Bobby. If this helps both of you then it's something I'm more than happy to do.”

“Thanks, Charles. You have no idea what all of what you've done means to me.”

“I think I do, actually,” Charles said softly. “My mother kicked me out when she found out I was gay. My father was already dead. My dreams of university and my desired career went right out the window. I had to find a way to live without any support from anyone. When I was able to start this place, I swore to myself that I would help any of my staff who needs it because no one did that for me. That has expanded a little beyond the staff now, but it's also created the family. I love the family.”

“Charles, I'm sorry,” Bobby murmured. “I had no idea.”

“No one does except Erik, and I'd like to keep it that way.”

“I won't say a word. Not even to John.”

“Thank you, Bobby. Now go talk to Ronny and stop in before you leave to let me know what he says.”

Bobby stood up. “I'll be back later then. And Charles, thank you again. I really mean that.”

“Go,” Charles said, waving towards the door. 

Bobby smiled and walked out of the office, making his way back to their booth. He sat down next to John and reached for the orange juice in front of him. “Thank you for ordering for me.”

“I didn't,” John said. “I just went and got them. I think Sean has us last in priority right now because it's us.”

“If it's too much longer, I'll just go put our order in,” Bobby murmured.

“So, what did you talk to Charles about?” John asked.

“I talked to him about Ronny, actually.”

“Me?” Ronny said, surprised. “What were you talking to Charles about me for?”

“Well, I wanted to make sure it was okay with him before I offered you a job.”

“What?”

“You would do all the HR stuff so I can go back to just the financial side of things. And you will be fairly compensated, I promise.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Bobby confirmed. “If you don't want to do this, that's fine. We'll find someone else to do it. I just cannot do this stuff I'm not trained for anymore.”

Ronny took in the look on Bobby's face for a moment before laughing. “I'm in.”

Bobby grinned. “Good. Put in your notice tomorrow and you can start whenever you're free from that one.”

“This is great,” Ronny said, grinning back. “Thanks, Bobby.”

“Thank Charles, not me,” Bobby said, glancing around. “Where's Jubes?”

“Still on the phone, apparently,” John said, looking up at the door. “Wait, here she comes.”

Jubilee made her way to their booth and sat down next to Ronny. “Hi.”

“Well?” John prompted.

“Well, I'm moving in,” Jubilee said, grinning. “Next weekend, so you are helping me move. All of you.”

“That's fine, Jubes,” Ronny said. “I'll be happy to help.”

John reached across the table and took one of Jubilee's hands. “I'm thrilled for you, honey.”

“Thanks, Johnny. Though it's going to be weird not living with you. There was a long time there when I thought we'd be sharing that shithole forever.”

John laughed. “Well, it's a good thing that we aren't. We're both much happier now.”

John leaned over and gave Bobby a kiss, which made Bobby smile. “I'm happy for you, Jubes,” Bobby said. “Happier that you are removed from that miserable existence.”

“Alright, I am so sorry about the fucking wait,” Sean said as he approached the table. “We are busy as fuck and the other waiter didn't show up so it's just me in this insanity. What can I get you guys?”

Bobby and John looked at each other for a moment before standing up. “John and I will help you, Sean. You guys order and eat if you want.”

“Oh, you two are a fucking godsend,” Sean exclaimed. “I love you both.”

“We'll be in the back getting aprons. Come fill us in on what we need to do,” John said.

“Be there in a minute. Got to go deal with Sophia, that bitch.”

“We'll be back eventually,” Bobby said, making Jubilee wave them away.

“Go work. Ronny and I will just sit here and talk.”

“Yeah, we'll be fine,” Ronny said. “Though I could use more coffee.”

“I'll get that,” Sean said, so John and Bobby walked away.

As soon as they were alone in the back, John pulled Bobby into a deep kiss. “It's going to be just the two of us now.”

Bobby smiled. “Yeah, it is.”

“I'm happy about this. You know why?”

Bobby rolled his eyes. “Because we can fuck whenever we want to now because Jubes won't be there.”

John laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Of course, I do. Now, grab an apron. We need to help Sean. The place is swamped. I don't even want to think about how far behind he is.”

“Alright, alright, I'm moving.”


	31. Chapter 31

“Hey John, can I talk to you for a second?”

“I'm a little busy at the moment, Ronny,” John said without turning around. “I thought we'd decided that we'd talk about the insurance stuff later.”

“We did,” Ronny said, glancing around the busy restaurant. “I just have to go tell Bobby something and I wanted you to be prepared for his reaction.”

John glanced behind himself. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Ronny said, pausing so he could keep control of his emotions. “It means I just got a phone call from one of my cousins because they found out that my mother was just in a serious car accident.”

John immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around, taking in Ronny's appearance before pulling him into an embrace. “Oh, God, Ronny. I don't even know what to say.”

“This shouldn't get to me so much,” Ronny murmured. “But I have to go tell Bobby now and I...I think this might finally get him to break.”

“John!” came Lorna's voice, and John stepped back.

“I have to go deal with that,” he said softly. “I'll be in there as soon as I can.”

Ronny nodded and watched John walk away before heading back towards the offices. He walked up to the door of Bobby's office and took a couple of deep breaths before knocking. When he heard the permission, he went inside to find Bobby crouched down behind his desk. “What are you doing?”

Bobby glanced up. “I knocked my entire thing of paperclips off the desk. I have to pick them up individually because picking them up in bunches is hopeless.”

Ronny tried to laugh but it came out hollow, and Bobby gave him a confused look. “Ronny? Is everything okay?”

“No, it's not,” Ronny said, taking another deep breath. “I got a phone call from Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth as in our cousin Elizabeth? I was unaware that Elizabeth was still speaking to you.”

“She wasn't but she felt like I needed to know about this.”

“Know about what?”

“Come here, please,” Ronny said softly. “I need a hug.”

Bobby stood up and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Ronny. “What's wrong?”

Ronny swallowed hard. “It's Mom.”

Bobby stiffened. “What happened?”

“I don't know all the details because Elizabeth didn't offer up much. I just know that she's currently in the ICU after a serious car accident.”

Bobby swallowed hard. “What?”

“That's what she said. I can't imagine she'd lie about this.”

Bobby blinked rapidly as he felt his eyes well up with tears. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Elizabeth didn't know.”

Bobby felt the tears start to slip down his cheeks, so he tried to remember all of the homophobic shit she'd said to him. “I shouldn't care. Not after what she did.”

“But you can't help but care because deep down you know you still love her,” Ronny finished. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

Bobby let go of Ronny to wipe at his eyes, but all that managed to do was make the tears fall faster. “Fuck. Motherfucking fuck.”

“It's okay, Bobby,” Ronny said quietly. “Fuck what Grandma said. If your emotions are screaming at you, let them out.”

Bobby stared at Ronny through blurry eyes. “I can't. I just can't.”

“You need to. You will feel so much better once you finally process all of this. I know I will.”

“I can't do that in the middle of the restaurant.”

“You're not in the middle of the restaurant. It's just you and me in this room. No one is going to see you.”

Bobby went to speak again but a sob came out instead, and before he even realized it, he'd sunk to his knees and was sobbing into his hands. Ronny got down next to him and wrapped his arms around Bobby, and Bobby turned his head into Ronny's shoulder and cried even harder. 

Bobby fucking hated crying. He had hated it since he was a child and he was not happy that he was crying now. But maybe what Ronny was saying was right. Maybe he would feel better once he finally processed things. His father he really could not have cared less about, but his mother...he'd always loved his mother more than anything. Even after everything went down with his parents, he'd missed her more than he could put into words. And now she might be gone, not just from his life as it was now but from his life forever.

John walked into the office about an hour later, fully ready to apologize for things delaying him for so long, to find Bobby sobbing into Ronny's shoulder. Ronny looked up when he dropped to his knees next to him, and he pressed a kiss to his brother's head. “John's here.”

Bobby turned his head and blinked, his blurry eyes focusing in on John. “Johnny?”

“Come here, baby,” John murmured, and Bobby pushed away from Ronny and threw himself into John's arms. “It's going to be okay, Bobby. I promise.”

“My mom,” Bobby got out before burying his face in John's shoulder and sobbing again. 

John looked over at Ronny. “How are you doing?”

“I'm okay,” Ronny said, glancing up at the clock. “And I have to get back to work. I have a scheduled phone call in about twenty minutes. Take care of him, will you? I'll let you know if I get any updates from Elizabeth.”

“Of course,” John murmured as Ronny stood up and walked out of the office. “Shh, baby. It's okay. It's really okay.”

“I don't want to care. I don't,” Bobby got out. “But I still care more than anything and I hate it. I hate feeling this way.”

“I know,” John soothed. “But this is normal, baby. Just because they were motherfucking assholes does not mean that you instantly stop loving them. If I knew something like this had happened to my mother, I'd be a mess.”

“She was,” Bobby said before another sob escaped him. “She always had my back, especially when he was being a bastard towards me. She loved me. I know she did.”

“I'm sure she did. And you love her too.”

“I don't want to.”

“I know that you think it'll be easier if you just decide not to love your parents, but trust me, it won't. You hate them for what they've done, but that doesn't mean you stop loving them either.”

Bobby turned his face into John's neck and John tightened his arms around him. They sat like that for a long time before the door to the office opened, Charles poking his head inside. “I talked to Ronny. How is he?”

“He finally broke,” John said softly, running his hand up and down Bobby's back. “I don't think I'm going anywhere for a while.”

“It's fine. I've got Wanda out in the restaurant,” Charles said softly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Text Jubes for me?” John asked. “I promised her I'd let her know when this happened but I can't do that at the moment.”

“Of course. When you get him calmed down enough, both of you just go home. This is more important than being here.”

John nodded. “Thanks, Charles.”

“Let me know how he is later. Erik and I are worried about how this will affect him.”

“I will, I promise.”

Charles closed the door and John pressed a kiss to the side of Bobby's head. “Did you hear that? We can go home if you want.”

Bobby nodded against him but didn't move. “Johnny, I don't know what to do.”

“There's not much you can do, baby. Ronny said he was going to get more updates.”

“Yeah, Elizabeth is supposed to let him know later.”

“Good. I'd hate it if you didn't find out what happens.”

Bobby stayed there for a moment before pulling back. “I don't want her to die, Johnny.”

“I don't want her to die either, baby, but that is completely out of our hands.”

“I shouldn't feel like this.”

“Bobby,” John said firmly, “there is nothing wrong with you feeling like this. She's still your mother, whether she was a motherfucking bitch or not.”

Bobby swallowed hard before John pulled him into a kiss. “Distract me.”

“Once we get home, I promise.”

Bobby nodded before John kissed him again. “Then let's go home.”

“Okay, baby,” John said, letting go of him and standing up. “Let's go home.”

**********

They were barely in the door before Bobby pounced on John, shoving him up against the back of the door and crushing their lips together. John just let him, knowing that Bobby needed to get this out before they could proceed, and when Bobby's lips trailed down his neck, he brought his hands up to his shoulders and pushed him away. “Not against the door, baby.”

Bobby stared at him for a moment before beginning to walk towards their bedroom, stripping his shirt off and tossing it to the floor along the way. John just shook his head and grabbed the shirt, tossing it into the basket in the hallway before walking into their room. Bobby was already naked and climbing on the bed, and all John could do is lean up against the doorframe and stare at him.

Bobby looked over at him as his hand drifted down to wrap around his cock, and he frowned when he noticed that John wasn't moving. “Are you going to come fuck me or not?”

“I'm not going to fuck you, baby.”

Bobby groaned. “Not this bullshit again.”

“It's not bullshit,” John pointed out, walking fully into the room and stripping his shirt off. “I am never going to hurt you. That is a vow I made a long time ago.”

“You're not going to hurt me. Just fuck me. Please,” Bobby pleaded. “I need to not know anything for a while.”

“I'm not going to fuck you,” John said, quickly divesting himself of the rest of his clothes. “I'm going to make love to you.”

Bobby's eyes softened. “Make love to me?”

John crawled onto the bed and bent to give Bobby a soft kiss. “I'm going to worship you. I'm going to make you remember why letting them know was worth it.”

John cupped his hand against Bobby's cheek before smiling down at him, and Bobby turned his head and nuzzled into it, lips pressing against the inside of John's wrist. “We've never made love before.”

“We make love all the time,” John pointed out. “Every time we have sex is not just a fuck.”

“Mmm,” Bobby murmured as John attached his lips to his neck. “But we do fuck a lot.”

“Yes,” John mumbled into his skin. “But we make love a lot too.”

Bobby went to respond but John had begun to nip at his collarbone, so a loud moan escaped him instead. He began to breathe heavier as John's hands danced across his skin, his lips slowly trailing down his body, sucking one nipple then the other, paying attention to the spots on his torso that John knew drove him wild. He brought his hands up to tangle in John's hair as he lapped at the soft skin above his cock, letting out small whines with every brush of John's tongue across his skin. “Johnny.”

“Shh, baby,” John murmured. “Just let me take care of you.”

John slowly moved down one side to Bobby's inner thigh, then went back and did the same to the other. He knew that Bobby was incredibly hard and desperate for him, and John wasn't here to torture him. He licked at the head of his cock, tonguing the slit before wrapping his lips around it and sucking gently. Bobby was breathing hard, moans spilling from his lips as John took more of his cock into his mouth, and he swore loudly when on the next downstroke, John took him down to the root. 

John could tell that Bobby was close by the way his body was shaking, so he nipped and sucked on his way up and back down before swallowing around him. Bobby screamed at the feeling and John repeated his actions. Up and back down before swallowing, and then Bobby was coming, another scream emitting from his lips.

John let his cock slip from his lips and looked up, seeing Bobby laying there with his eyes closed, panting hard. He smiled before slowly making his way back up Bobby's body, pausing to pay attention to every sensitive spot he knew about despite having just done that. By the time that he reached Bobby's lips, he could feel Bobby's pulsing erection pressed against the inside of his thigh and it made him smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing,” Bobby got out, eyes opening to see John peering at him with love in his eyes. “Thank you.”

“Don't thank me yet,” John murmured, bending down to kiss him lazily before pulling back. “I love you, Bobby. God, how I love you.”

Bobby just nodded and John knew what he was about to say before he said it. “I adore you, Johnny. I really do.”

John swallowed down his disappointment and reached for the bedside table, grabbing the lube and a condom and tossing them further down the bed. He kissed Bobby again sweetly before letting his lips follow the same trail he'd made twice already. Bobby was a shuddering mess by the time John slid in between his legs, and Bobby helped John maneuver his legs into position. “You've never done this before.”

John glanced up at him. “Meaning?”

“This slow and gentle,” Bobby said softly. “When we get in bed, we're always in such a hurry to fuck, even the times when you make love to me. You're never this tender.”

John sighed heavily. “I try to be.”

“I'm not complaining about the way you fuck me,” Bobby said quickly. “Just saying that this is nice.”

“Well, I'll have to make sure this happens more often then, won't I?”

John pressed the customary kiss to the inside of Bobby's thigh before reaching for the lube, spreading some of the sticky liquid on his fingers before pushing one into Bobby. He worked his finger in and out, wiggling it around as he slowly felt Bobby relax. A second finger joined soon after and the same process was repeated, wiggling around and scissoring to help make him as loose as possible. Bobby shuddered as John's fingers brushed against his prostate, and John held them there for a moment, massaging it gently. Bobby swore loudly and batted at John's head. “Stop, stop, please stop. I don't want to come again until you're inside me and if you don't, I'm going to.”

John pulled his fingers out before plunging them back in, a third joining the other two. They did this often enough that John usually only used two before getting on with it, but he could feel the tension in Bobby's body and refused to hurt him like that. He worked the fingers in and out until he felt Bobby completely relax, and then he reached for a condom. He rolled it on and grabbed the lube, slicking up the condom and shuddering in the process. He was so unbelievably hard.

John shifted around until he was pressing into him, Bobby's happy sigh making him smile. He paused when he was fully inside until Bobby kicked at his arm, and then he pulled out before gently thrusting back in. He kept up the slow pace as Bobby threw his head back and moaned, his hand coming down to wrap around his cock. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Johnny.”

John bent down and attacked Bobby's mouth, licking into it and exploring every inch. Bobby was incoherent by the time he pulled back, breathing harder than John could ever remember him doing, and when he opened his eyes and looked at John, John could almost believe that there was love shining in them. “I love you,” John murmured before sitting back up, increasing the speed of his thrusts slightly. “Being able to do this with you is the most amazing thing in the world. I'm so glad you're free of all of that closeted bullshit and here with me. So, so glad.”

“Ngh,” was all the response Bobby could muster, and John grinned. 

“I must be doing something right if you can't even speak,” John said, but he was starting to drive himself crazy with his slow pace, so he increased it to something more normal.

John's head dropped down as the arousal ratcheted up, feeling pleasure spread through his spine to the rest of his body. He looked up and saw the frantic pace of Bobby's hand on his cock, and he reached out, wrapping his hand around Bobby's and slowing it down. “Savor it, baby.”

“Johnny,” Bobby whined, shuddering. “Please.”

John carefully removed Bobby's hand before wrapping his own around Bobby's cock, his hand sliding up and down it before stopping at the head, fingering it gently. “It'll be better if you don't force it.”

“Fuck,” Bobby groaned as John's fingers played with the slit. “You're a bastard.”

“No, I'm not,” John said, shaking his head. But he increased the pace of both his hand and his thrusts, knowing in a matter of moments that he was extremely close. “Fuck, let go, baby. Just let go.”

Bobby curled his hands into the bedsheets before letting out a loud moan as he came, white streaks landing on his torso. John smiled at the look of pure pleasure on Bobby's face and he thought about how he was the only one who got to see this again, the only one who had ever seen it, and he wanted nothing more for that to be the case for the rest of their lives. 

John picked up the speed of his thrusts as Bobby clenched around him, but it wasn't long until his thrusts were faltering as he felt the tension build at the base of his spine. With a loud moan, he felt the tension explode as he came, shuddering as his orgasm hit him hard. He carefully pulled out before collapsing onto Bobby, and Bobby's hands ran through his hair as John slowly came back to himself.

When he did, he tilted his head so he could see Bobby, and Bobby just smiled at him. “We need to make love more often.”

John chuckled. “We can do that.”

He brought their lips together in a soft kiss, and Bobby's fingers ran through John's hair again. “I adore you, Johnny. So, so much.”

John swallowed his disappointment down again and smiled. “And I love you. More than I could say.”

“I don't need them,” Bobby murmured. “And I've known that for a very long time, but it's like I'm finally realizing it at the same time. I have a family. It's you. It's Ronny. It's Jubes, and Piotr, and Kitty, and Charles, and Erik, and Wanda, and just everybody. I don't need my parents to make me happy because my real family makes me happy. You all make me happy. I love the family more than I could put into words.”

“Good, baby,” John said softly, settling his head on Bobby's shoulder. “I'm glad to hear that.”

“Then why do I still love her so much?” Bobby asked, getting choked up. “I don't want her to die, Johnny.”

“As I said earlier, you don't just instantly stop loving them. Hate them for what they've done, sure. But you still love them for what they did before that.”

“So, you still love your parents?”

John nodded against him. “I'd give anything for them to call and say that they accept me for who I am. It's the only reason why I answer when my father calls. Because I still wish that things would change.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” John said, pressing a kiss to Bobby's neck. “Sometimes all I can think about is how much I want to introduce you to them, let them know that I've found someone as amazing as you are to spend my life with. I think they'd love you. You're like the epitome of everything they ever wanted for me. They just wanted me to find it with someone very different.”

“I think my mother would have loved you,” Bobby said after a moment. “I don't care about what my father would have thought. But I don't want to think about these things. It'll never happen.”

“It's okay to think about it, baby.”

“Maybe, but I don't want to,” Bobby said, sighing. “What I want is to take a shower.”

“I need more time before shower sex.”

“I didn't say shower sex,” Bobby pointed out. “But I am incredibly sticky right now, and so are you.”

John shifted around until he was on his back and rolled the condom off, tossing it into the trash before running his hands over his face. “Alright, so we go take a shower and then what?”

“And then I would like to eat dinner,” Bobby said, “but I'm not cooking tonight.”

“Do you want me to cook?”

Bobby laughed. “I'm not eating anything you cook.”

“Shut up,” John said, shoving at his shoulder. “I'm not that bad.”

“Yeah, Johnny, you are.”

John shoved his shoulder again. “So, do you want to go out or order in?”

“Order in,” Bobby said, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. “We'll figure out what after the shower.”

“Alright, baby. I'll be there in a minute.”

Bobby nodded as he walked out of the room, and John ran his hands over his face. He really, really hoped that Ronny would call with good news because he didn't know what to do if he didn't. Because if he didn't, Bobby was going to be even more of a mess than he already was and John had no idea how to help him. Absolutely no idea.


	32. Chapter 32

Bobby blinked sleepily as he woke, glancing over at the clock in confusion to see that it was a little past three a.m. before the sound of his phone ringing finally permeated his brain. He reached over and grabbed it, saw that it was Ronny calling, and answered it immediately. "Ronny?"

"Elizabeth just called me," Ronny said, and Bobby's breath caught in his throat. "She said it's going to be an extremely long recovery but that she's out of the danger zone. Mom's going to be okay."

Bobby sighed in relief and rolled onto his back, glancing over at where John was still sleeping. "Oh, thank fuck," he said quietly. "I didn't want her to die."

"Me either," Ronny said. "Elizabeth said she'll give me another update later today but she thought I deserved to know this immediately. First thing I did was call you."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell Abigail first."

"Abigail is on the night rotation this week so she's at work," Ronny said. "And I would have called you first anyway."

"Thank you," Bobby said softly. "Thank you for being the intermediary."

"Technically, Elizabeth is the intermediary," Ronny pointed out. "Dad is furious that she even called me."

"He knows?"

"Uncle James mentioned to her that she should call me in front of him. Dad was not very happy about it, but Elizabeth did it anyway. She said she'd leave it to him and her father to argue about."

"Dad and Uncle James arguing about something?" Bobby said, letting out a small laugh. "I can't picture that."

Ronny laughed loudly. "I imagine this was one pretty serious argument though. Elizabeth said Dad refuses to even acknowledge that he had children now."

Bobby felt a pain in his chest. "Really?"

"It's okay, Bobby," Ronny said softly. "He can think whatever he wants. It will never take away our happy memories from times gone by nor the family that we've created for ourselves here."

"You're right. I know you're right, but..."

"But it still hurts to hear," Ronny finished. "I know. Believe me, I know."

Bobby ran a hand over his face and sighed. "You should get back to sleep."

"You too," Ronny said. "I just needed to call you immediately."

"Thank you for that. I'll see you at work."

"Sounds good. I love you, Bobby."

"I love you too. See you in a few hours."

Bobby hung up the phone and placed it back on the bedside table, running both his hands over his face this time. He debated waking up John and telling him, but if it was a little past three that meant that John would be getting up in about half an hour anyway, so he decided to just let him sleep. He shifted onto his side and reached out to brush a lock of hair from John's eyes, smiling softly.

If he had never met John, he wouldn't have what he had now. He wouldn't have a real family to have fallen back on once he finally told his parents the truth. If he told his parents the truth. He thought about the reason why he'd gone to the club that night and sighed. He never would have told his parents the truth and he knew it. But meeting John had changed everything. Absolutely everything.

He really wouldn't want it any other way, even if that meant he was in an apartment in New York City instead of in the waiting room of a hospital in Boston at that moment. The fact that he knew his mother wasn't going to die was enough. If Elizabeth was calling Ronny over this, maybe Ronny could convince her to call every once and a while and give updates on his mother's progress in her recovery. He'd have to ask Ronny about that later.

Bobby laid there watching John until he heard the sound of John's alarm, looking on with amusement when John rolled over onto his back and reached for the bedside table without even opening his eyes. John picked up the phone and moved it so it was in front of his face, cracking an eye open to check the time before sighing heavily and yawning with one eye still closed. It made Bobby chuckle because he'd never seen John wake up to go to work before. 

John's head rolled in his direction and he opened up both of his eyes, smiling softly when he saw Bobby watching him. "You're awake early."

"Ronny called a little while ago," Bobby said, reaching out to brush hair out of John's eyes again. "She's out of the danger zone."

John slid across the bed and pulled Bobby into a soft kiss. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."

Bobby smiled at him. "He said some other stuff that I'll tell you about once you're more awake. Right now, though, you need to get up and get ready for work."

"Alarm is always set for fifteen minutes before I need to get out of bed," John said, pausing to yawn again. "I've got a few minutes."

"Still waiting until you're more awake to tell you," Bobby said, trailing his fingers down the side of John's face. "I've been laying here thinking about the family and how much I owe all of that to you. You'll never know what that means to me. You'll never know what you mean to me."

"And why is that?" John asked before he could stop himself. "Because you could very easily tell me what I mean to you, just like I tell you what you mean to me."

"Johnny," Bobby sighed, but John just shook his head. 

"I need to hear it, Bobby. I need to hear you say it."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now. I need to hear you say it right now."

"I can't," Bobby murmured after a moment. "I just can't."

John threw the blankets back and stood up, walking out of the room before Bobby could say another thing. Bobby laid there for a moment before getting up as well, but by the time he made his way out of the room, John was already in the shower. So, he went into the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker, opening up the refrigerator and grabbing some orange juice. He was halfway through a glassful when he heard the shower turn off, so he set the glass down and positioned himself so that John could see him when he came out of the bathroom.

But John just walked right past him and into the bedroom, so Bobby leaned up against the doorframe and watched him get dressed. "Johnny," he tried. "I need you to be patient with me."

John didn't say a thing, putting his hands on Bobby's shoulders and moving him out of the way so he could exit the room. John didn't say a thing while he put his shoes on either, despite Bobby's attempts at getting him to talk. In the end, without saying a thing, John just grabbed his wallet and his phone, stuffed them into his pockets, picked up his keys, and walked out of the apartment.

Bobby collapsed down onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. The fact that he'd just fucked everything up kept running through his mind and he had no idea what to do about it.

**********

Jubilee walked into the restaurant and took one look at John before determining something was seriously wrong. She walked over to him and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him into the back. "What happened? Did she die?"

"No, no, she's going to be okay," John said, running his hands over his face. "Fuck, Jubes, I think we might be at the end. I can't do this anymore."

"What?" Jubilee exclaimed. "Honey, whatever this is, it can't be that bad."

"I told him I needed to hear him say that he loves me and he wouldn't do it," John said, pain in his voice. "He won't do it and I just...I can't put myself through this anymore. He either tells me that he loves me or I have to end things now before I get any more destroyed than I already am."

"Oh, Johnny," Jubilee said, pulling him into her arms. "He loves you, sweetheart. Bobby loves you."

"Then why won't he tell me?" John asked, hot tears burning his eyes. "I need to hear him say it, Jubes. I can't believe it otherwise."

"Why? Why can't you believe it otherwise?"

"Shit my parents said," John murmured. "And that's all I care to say about that."

Jubilee's arms tightened around him. "He's going to tell you, Johnny. He just needs a little more time."

"Well, he's not getting any. My patience is all used up, Jubes. It's been a year and a half since I told him that I'm in love with him. I either learn that he is in love with me today or I have to end it. This is destroying me."

Jubilee sighed as John buried his face in her neck and squeezed tighter when she felt the tears on her skin. "It's okay, Johnny. It's all going to be okay."

"It's not okay," John mumbled into her skin. "This is not okay."

"Hey, John," Peter said, walking into the back and pausing. "Is everything okay?"

John pulled back and looked over at Peter. "Everything's fine. What do you need?"

"Lorna needs your help. The register's locked her out again."

"Tell her I'll be right there." Peter nodded and walked out of the room, and John turned back to Jubilee. "Not a word about this to anyone."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," Jubilee said. "But you need to talk to Bobby."

"Right now, Jubes, that's the last thing that I want to do," John said, walking away from her.

Jubilee stood there for a few moments before walking back into the restaurant, her eyes zeroing in on where Bobby was talking to some people that he knew. She stood there until Bobby started heading back to the offices and then moved, grabbing him by the elbow and marching him into his office. "You're an idiot, Bobby."

"You've obviously talked to John," Bobby said, pulling his arm away from her and walking around the desk, sitting down and reaching for his laptop. "Whatever it is you have to say, Jubes, make it quick and then kindly get the fuck out."

"Honey," Jubilee said, sitting down. "You have to understand his frustration. It's been a year and a half since he told you that he loves you. It's not unreasonable for him to want to hear it from you."

"No offense, Jubes, but you don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"I know that you're fucking up the best thing that's ever happened to you both," Jubilee said firmly. "And I am not about to let that happen."

Bobby sighed and his shoulders slumped. "It's fine. We'll get over it. We always do."

"This is not something that he's going to get over, Bobby. Not until you tell him that you love him."

"I refuse to become my father."

"You're not your father," Jubilee pointed out. "You love everyone here in a much different way than your father loved you. And I know you know that's the truth because Ronny has even fucking said it to you."

"Jubes, you don't understand."

"No, I understand perfectly."

"I don't see how that's possible. You never knew my father."

Jubilee sighed. "John thinks that you don't love him."

Bobby's head shot up. "What?"

"John thinks that you won't tell him that you love him because you don't. And he's run out of patience at hearing the word adore. You either tell him that you love him or you're going to lose him. And I'm not just saying that. It's the truth."

Bobby swallowed hard. "Jubes, I can't."

"Yes, honey, you can. You know you can. You're just not letting yourself for some bullshit reasons. Don't make me go get Ronny and get him in here to set you straight."

"I can't," Bobby whispered. "I just can't."

"Then you're going to lose him. Simple as that. And it's going to happen today."

"You're wrong. You've got to be wrong."

"No, you're going to lose him. And when you do, you're going to have to watch him self-destruct. Nothing will be able to save him from that, and he will slowly drown himself in sex and alcohol and maybe even go back to the drugs. It will destroy him that much."

Bobby ran his hands over his face. "You have to be wrong. You have to be."

"I'm not wrong, gorgeous." Bobby just sat there, so Jubilee stood up and walked around the desk, pulling him up out of the chair and wrapping him up in her arms. "Bobby, I'm just trying to get you to see what's going to happen if you aren't true to how you're feeling. You are not your father, honey. But all you are doing right now is destroying John."

"I don't want to do that," Bobby said, resting his head on her shoulder. "I really don't."

"Then you know what you need to do to stop that. Because I promise you, he will end things today if you don't tell him."

"He won't even talk to me."

"And you have to understand why that is. He's at his breaking point, gorgeous. He needs a reason not to jump off that ledge and only you can give him that. My assurances that you do love him are not enough anymore."

Bobby nodded against her. "I hear what you're saying, Jubes, I do, but..."

"There should be no but to that," Jubilee said seriously. "Honey, you are never going to be free of your father if you keep doing this. It's like he's still controlling your life."

The door to the office opened and Ronny poked his head in. "We're all supposed to be having dinner together, right?"

"Right," Bobby said. "Why?"

"Because John said he's going home."

Jubilee broke their embrace and looked Bobby in the eyes. "It's time, honey."

Bobby nodded shakily and Jubilee took him by the hand, leading him out of the office. Ronny gave her a confused look and Jubilee whispered that she'd tell him during dinner. When they were out in the restaurant, John was almost to the door, and she was not about to let that happen. "You stop right there, John Allerdyce."

John stopped and turned back towards her, shaking his head when he saw Bobby with her. "Not a fucking chance."

"If you want the answer to your question, then you have to listen to what he has to say," Jubilee said patiently. "You owe it to yourself to at least do that."

John was aware that the entire restaurant's eyes were suddenly on him, so he stalked back across the restaurant, grabbed Bobby by the hand, and pulled him into his office. He locked the door behind them and turned to face Bobby, and Bobby just stood there. He didn't know what to say, didn't have a clue how to make what Jubilee had said would happen not happen, because it was extremely obvious just by the look on John's face that he was hurt more than words could express.

John just shook his head when Bobby didn't say anything. "I did not want to do this here but you've left me no choice."

Bobby's breath caught in his throat. "Johnny."

"Look, I'm in love with you and you know it. And I need to know if you're in love with me too because if you aren't, then I think it's time for us to move on before you destroy me any more."

Bobby swallowed hard at the look in John's eyes. "I'm not trying to destroy you," he got out. "That's the last thing I want to do."

"Then what are you doing it for?" John asked. "Because my patience has run out, baby. I can't stay in a relationship where I'm not loved anymore, no matter how much it's going to kill me to leave."

"It breaks my heart to know that you don't realize how much I care about you."

"I know you care about me," John said, shaking his head. "I know you fucking adore me. I don't know if you love me. And the longer this has gone on, the more convinced I have become that you don't. So you either say it or I'm gone because I can't fucking live like this anymore. I can't take knowing that this means more to me than it does to you."

"You mean everything to me," Bobby said softly. "Absolutely everything."

"Then fucking tell me already!" John yelled. "You either tell me right now or I'm fucking gone!"

Bobby closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. This wasn't happening. It couldn't possibly be happening. His eyes flew open when he heard the lock of the door being undone, and panic took over. "Johnny."

"Don't do this to us," John pleaded quietly. "Don't do this to me."

"I want the chance to explain," Bobby said softly. "Please just give me that."

John rested his forehead against the door and his shoulders slumped, tears building behind his eyes. "Bobby, please, don't do this."

"My biggest fear in life is turning into my father," Bobby started, trying to think of what to say to keep John from walking out that door. "But I am my father's image."

"Your father is an emotionally abusive motherfucker," John said bitterly. "You are not your father's image."

"You're created in the mould of your parents."

"And then you grow up, form opinions of your own, and break the fucking mould."

"Johnny, I'm trying."

"If this is what you have to say to me, then I am leaving. I'll find somewhere else to stay until I can move out."

"I love you," was out of Bobby's mouth before he could think about it. 

John just shook his head. “Don't say something you don't mean.”

“I'm not!” Bobby took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been in love with you for a very long time, probably as long as you've been in love with me if not longer. I just...I don't want to be my father, Johnny. And the thought of loving you terrifies me because it means I'm going to turn into my father. That's why I didn't say it. Not because I didn't feel it. Words don't exist in any language on the planet that would describe how much I love you."

John didn't move, didn't say anything, and the panic that Bobby had been feeling completely overtook him. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I was trying to protect you. And everything's going to get fucked up now and I know it, so maybe it's better that you leave. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

They both stood there for a couple of minutes before John slid the lock back into place and turned to face him. "You are that scared of turning into your father?"

"I'd rather kill myself than turn into my father," Bobby said softly. "And I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have, but I know it's going to happen."

"Baby, you're not your father. I wish you could see that."

"I don't know any other way to love," Bobby whispered, dropping his eyes down. "I don't want to do to you what he did to me."

John walked over to him and put his hands on either side of Bobby's head, forcing him to look at him. "Listen to me. You don't treat me the way he treated you. I know you don't. Ronny would be calling you on that bullshit if he thought you treated me like that. But you don't. You just love me."

"Jubes said you thought that I didn't."

"In recent months I'd begun to question that," John said honestly. "I mean you'd lay there and tell me how much you wanted me and this, but you wouldn't say it and wouldn't say it, and you can't blame me for questioning things. You really can't."

"I don't," Bobby said, swallowing hard. "I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way."

"It's okay, baby."

"No, it isn't," Bobby said firmly. "You should have heard that from me ages ago. You deserved to. But I just...I don't want to fuck everything up and I know that's what's going to happen now."

"It's not going to happen now," John murmured. "I won't let it happen. If I start to think for a second that you're treating me the way your father treated you, I'll call you on it. I promise."

Bobby stared at him for a moment before nodding, and John pulled him into a kiss. Bobby smiled into it and John took the chance to deepen it, pulling back after a moment. "I love you, baby. So, so much."

"I love you too, Johnny," Bobby said. "I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you."

"It's okay," John said, smiling softly. "You've said it now."

"You were really going to leave, weren't you?"

John nodded. "I was going to do it, but it would have shattered me. No one would have been able to put me back together. I would have gone back to the life I had before you. I was so lonely, baby. Years and years of feeling empty inside. But then I met you, and you filled a hole in my heart that my soul was draining out of. Truth be told, I've been addicted to you from that first moment and it's an addiction I never want to break."

"I was pretty lonely before I met you too," Bobby murmured. "Had been for years. When I met you that night, something about you just felt right. That's why I tried to get you to agree to more that first morning after. I knew you were just going to view it as a one night stand because that's what it was. But I just couldn't leave without trying because I knew that if I walked away from you, I'd never get this feeling back. And then with every moment we spent together after that, every night stolen away at the shithole, the loneliness began to fade away until eventually it was completely gone. And that's all because of you. If for nothing else, and I'm not saying there's nothing else, I love you just for that."

John pulled him into another kiss. "I meant what I said that night. I am here for this until you tell me that you don't want it anymore."

"I'm never not going to want this," Bobby said, smiling at him. "How could I possibly not want this?"

John kissed him hard and deep before pulling back, running his hands through his hair and glancing at the clock. "Think Jubes and Ronny would mind if we skipped out on dinner? I need you spread out and writhing beneath me."

"Mm, I think they will understand," Bobby said. "Do you know what I'm most looking forward to about this?"

"What?"

"Telling you that I love you during it," Bobby said, smiling. "I can't wait for you to feel what I feel when you tell me."

John grinned. "That is a feeling I am very much looking forward to experiencing."

"Fuck, how are we going to explain this to Jubes and Ronny though? Jubes is going to want details."

John laughed. "Oh, we're not explaining this. We're just leaving. Jubes will understand what happened. She can explain it to Ronny."

Bobby laughed as John pulled him towards the door. "Okay, but we have to go to my office first. I need to get my stuff."

"I think I can manage to wait long enough for you to do that," John said, unlocking the door. "But we're sprinting to the train station."

"Deal."


	33. Chapter 33

John opened his eyes and rolled onto his back, his gaze quickly focusing on the spot above their bed where mistletoe was hanging. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how it got there because Jubilee didn't live there anymore and she'd given them back her key. He was still looking at it when he felt Bobby slide closer to him and kiss his shoulder. "Good morning."

"Merry Christmas," Bobby murmured. When John didn't look over at him, Bobby frowned. "What are you looking at?"

"Mistletoe."

Bobby shifted around until he could look up, and a smile broke out on his face. "Yeah, mistletoe."

John looked over at him. "You put that up?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Tradition. Every single Christmas we've spent together has involved fucking beneath some mistletoe. I wasn't about to stop that just because Jubes doesn't live here anymore."

John laughed and pulled Bobby into a kiss. "I love you, silly."

"I love you too, Johnny."

That phrase never failed to put a ridiculously stupid grin on John's face, and he really should have been far more concerned about that then he was. "What time is it?"

Bobby glanced over at the clock. "We've got an hour to be at the restaurant on time."

"We're never going to make it to the restaurant on time," John said as he ran his hands over his face. "I am not moving for at least another half an hour."

"I think that's okay," Bobby said, settling himself along John's side. "They'll just think we fucked."

"That's not off the table."

"We're not fucking," Bobby said seriously. "We are getting up in half an hour and going to the restaurant. If we fuck, we won't be there till past noon because we'll both fall back asleep."

"I know you're right but I really want to fuck now," John said, letting his eyes close. "Tonight."

"Definitely," Bobby said, tracing patterns into John's naked chest. "Johnny?"

"What, baby?"

"Do you think I'm ever going to enjoy Christmas again?"

John tilted his head so he could look at Bobby. "You don't enjoy Christmas?"

"I have lots of good memories from what has happened since they found out, but I'm not sure I enjoy Christmas anymore."

"I understand that. I have lots of good memories from the Christmases I've spent away from my parents, but it was a long time before I was willing to say that I enjoyed Christmas again."

"Yeah?"

"I told you, I'm an only child. My parents made a huge deal out of holidays. It took a while for that to fade away. Still completely hasn't, but being with you has helped a lot."

"I don't want to even think about what I'd be like at Christmas without you," Bobby said honestly. "I'd probably not even get out of bed." 

"That's what I always wanted to do, stay in bed," John murmured. "I only really have enjoyed getting up and going to the restaurant since I know I'm going to be doing it with you."

"I miss them," Bobby whispered, and John ran his fingers along Bobby's face.

"I know. I miss my parents too."

"I'm going to miss Ronny this year too."

"Yes, but you should also be happy that he's going to enjoy Christmas with Abigail's family."

"I wonder if he asked her yet," Bobby murmured. "He's supposed to call and tell me what she said."

"She's going to say yes," John said seriously. "I mean, for fuck's sake, it's incredibly obvious that they should be getting married."

"Ronny's worried it might be too soon."

"Well, considering what Abigail was saying the last time I was around her, she's probably going to think that Ronny took too long."

Bobby laughed. "That would not surprise me."

John stretched languidly before glancing over at the clock. "I suppose I could get up now. Might help stop Erik bitching at me about being late today."

"He just wants us to spend as much time with the family as possible. He knows how hard this day is for both of us."

"I know, I know," John said, taking a deep breath before throwing the blankets back. He stood up and walked to the window, glancing outside. "Holy fuck, it's like a blizzard out there."

"We're going to freeze our asses off on the way to the station," Bobby groaned.

"We need to buy those new winter coats like we keep saying we're going to," John said, sighing. "And my leather jacket's ruined too. Fuck."

"When we get those new coats, we are definitely not leaving them on a train like we did with the last ones," Bobby said seriously. "I don't care how hot we get while we make out. Taking them off is no longer an option."

"I agree," John said, sighing heavily. "Okay, I'm getting in the shower. You try to find something warm enough to wear."

"Deal."

**********

"Where the fuck are your coats?" Charles demanded the second Bobby walked through the door.

Bobby took a moment to take in the warmth of the restaurant before turning to Charles. "We left them on a train a couple of weeks ago and haven't replaced them yet."

"It's fine, Charles, really," John said as he came up behind Bobby. "We're going to get new ones tomorrow when the stores are open. I promise. I don't want to freeze my ass off again."

"I don't even know what to do with you two," Charles said, shaking his head. "And can you learn not to fuck on Christmas morning? Erik and I would like it if you were here on time."

"That is because the trains were delayed, not because we fucked," John said. "We would still be asleep if we had fucked."

"Not that we're saying we would have been here exactly on time if the trains hadn't been delayed, but the trains were delayed," Bobby added.

Charles studied them for a moment. "Go sit down. I'll bring you some coffee."

"Thanks, Charles," Bobby said, taking John by the hand and pulling him towards the booth that was theirs. 

John sat down and pulled Bobby into the bench with him, smiling when Bobby's head came to rest on his shoulder. "The place looks great, doesn't it?"

"Wanda always outdoes herself," Bobby said, looking around. "I take it this year's theme was reindeer."

"I think that's a good guess given how many reindeer there are in here," John said, smiling when he saw Lorna making her way towards them with Charlotte. "Lorna. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you both as well," Lorna said, sitting down across from them. 

"Bobby!" Charlotte exclaimed. "John-John!"

"Hi, Charlotte," they said at the same time, making her squeal. 

Lorna pressed a kiss to her temple before turning towards them with a smile on her face. "Hank got the court to force Alex to take a drug test or hold him in contempt, so he had to do it or spend time in jail until he did it. So, he took the drug test and failed it. I think his parents were horrified when the judge read out the list of things that he tested positive for yesterday."

"I can only imagine what was on that list," John said, shaking his head.

"It gets better," Lorna said. "The judge wanted to know why Alex wasn't present yesterday, and a bailiff came in and told him that Alex had been arrested trying to come into the courthouse because they found heroin and some syringes on him. So he is spending Christmas in jail because his parents are refusing to bail him out. He'll be there until he can make bail himself, which of course he can't because he gets all the money for everything from his parents."

"So they're still paying for his lawyer then?" Bobby asked.

"Christopher said the only reason they are doing that is so that they can see their granddaughter, but I told him that letting Alex have custody of her in any capacity was just a recipe for disaster. I think they're starting to see that. In the meantime, I need to ask you something as my boss."

John just shook his head. "I'm not your boss, sweetheart."

"Charles said you are, so that means you are," Lorna said. "Look, I just want to know if I can come in later on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can take her over to the Summers' shop and Christopher and Katherine can see her. Christopher told me there is no way Alex is going anywhere but rehab once he figures out a way to get himself out of jail, and so it should be safe to go over there."

"Of course, Lorna. We'll work it all out tomorrow, okay? Let's just enjoy today."

"I think that is a plan," Lorna said, sliding out of the booth as Charles approached it. "It's almost time to open presents, Lottie. You ready for presents?"

"Presents!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Want! Want!"

John and Bobby both laughed at her enthusiasm as Charles set a couple of cups and a carafe on the table. "Warm the fuck up. And that's an order."

"One we will happily follow," Bobby said, reaching for the carafe and a cup. "I am fucking freezing."

"You're buying those coats before you come to work tomorrow," Charles said seriously. "And that's a fucking order too. I'll open the fucking restaurant."

Charles turned and walked away before either of them could say anything, and Lorna just shook her head. "Still haven't replaced the coats, huh?"

"We've been a little busy," John said, murmuring thanks when Bobby slid the full cup in front of him. "I guess we'll be going to a department store first thing tomorrow morning then."

"Yeah, we will," Bobby said. "Because I am not going through what we just went through again."

"We'll have to on the way home."

"Fuck," Bobby murmured. "I was trying not to think about that."

"I'll get Dad and Charles to give you a ride home," Lorna said, shaking her head. "I know they will be happy to. You just might have to stay later than you were planning."

"I'll stay as late as I have to in order to not to walk through a blizzard without a coat on again," Bobby said, taking a long sip of coffee. "Warmth is such a wonderful thing."

Lorna laughed. "You two are morons, you know that?"

"We know," John said, running his hands along the cup to warm them up. "We really know."

Lorna heard her name being called across the room so she smiled at them. "Talk to you later, boys."

"See ya!" Bobby called out before leaning into John. "I am fucking freezing."

"Me too," John mumbled. "Me too."

They sat there drinking coffee for a few minutes before Bobby broke their silence. "Johnny, are we ever going to agree to get each other Christmas presents?"

"I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to find an appropriate present for you," John said. "I don't think they make something perfect for someone as amazing and special as you are. I think just having each other is the best gift."

Bobby smiled. "I like the sentimentality of that but I would like to be able to get you a Christmas present."

"Fine then. Next Christmas, I will attempt to find something perfect to give you and you can give me something in return."

"I like the sound of that."

It wasn't long before Peter approached the table, dressed in something that John thought was supposed to resemble a nutcracker. "Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas, Peter," Bobby said, smiling when Peter placed a big, red velvet bag on the other bench. "It's time for presents already? It's early."

"No, it's not. You two are just always late," Peter said, searching through the bag and piling some gifts on the table. "This was just the first bag, so I'll be back later with the rest, okay? I have to finish distributing what's left in this one."

Peter walked away before either of them could say anything, so John moved their coffee out of the way and they started searching through the presents. Most of them were small boxes, but there were two bigger ones, and Bobby was startled to find that the one he reached for was addressed to him and from John. He looked over at him with surprise. "You got me a Christmas present?"

John just smiled and reached for the other big box, shaking his head when he saw that it was addressed to him and from Bobby. "You got me one too."

Bobby nodded. "I kind of had to."

"Well, I kind of had to get you one too," John said, kissing him. "I mean, after all, you love me."

"Yeah," Bobby murmured. "I do."

"Let's open these first then," John suggested, and Bobby agreed.

They tore into the wrapping paper and revealed the boxes. John's was a plain white box, but Bobby's indicated what it was and he laughed. "You bought me a calculator?"

"I've listened to you complain about the one that you have for months, Bobby," John pointed out. "So I paid attention to what it was you were trying to get it to do, researched what kind of calculator would do that, and bought you one."

"So you could shut me up."

"No, I did it so that you could get your work done in a more timely fashion," John explained. "And, well, maybe so I don't have to listen to you bitch about a calculator the whole way home."

Bobby laughed and leaned over for a kiss. "Thank you, Johnny. I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome, baby."

"Alright, now open that up," Bobby said, leaning back in the bench as John reached for the box. "I think you're going to like it."

John pulled the top off of the box and moved away the tissue paper, staring into it for a moment before turning to look at Bobby. "Are you serious?"

"I didn't understand why you didn't just buy it," Bobby said. "Especially since Charlotte ruined yours. So, I bought it for you."

John reached into the box and pulled out the leather jacket, grinning when he realized it was the same one he'd looked at. "I can't believe they still had it. I'd think that these sell out of vintage shops fast."

"I might have asked them to hold it for me while you were on the phone with Jubes the day we were there," Bobby said, grinning when John looked over at him. "What? I'm allowed to be sneaky!"

John just set the jacket down and reached for him, pulling Bobby into a deep kiss. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Bobby said, drawing him into another kiss. 

By the time they broke apart, Wanda had sat down across from them and was smiling. "So, I take it the gifts were a success?"

John laughed. "Yes, they were."

"Wonderful. Maybe you'll be more open to giving each other gifts from now on." Wanda searched through the pile for a specific one. "But right now, Bobby, you have to open your one from me. It's special."

Bobby set the calculator to the side and took the gift from her, unwrapping it and opening the black plastic case before setting it down on the table and glaring at her. "I am not wearing eye shadow, Wanda."

"It's not for you to use as eye shadow," Wanda said firmly. "I know that you're not going to paint yourself up like Peter and Kurt. What it is for is to use as eyeliner. The different colors can be used to go with whatever it is you're wearing that day and it'll be gorgeous."

Bobby went to protest but John spoke before he could. "I did wonder why it was you stopped wearing it, baby. You never did explain that to me. You look unbelievably sexy whenever you wear it."

Bobby just shrugged. "I'm not interacting with the queens anymore. I didn't see the point."

"The point is to express yourself," Wanda said. "You liked wearing it, didn't you? Because you always said that you did."

"Yeah, I did," Bobby admitted. 

"So why should you stop just because you're sitting in an office instead of waiting tables? And it's not like you spend all day in that office. You're out in the restaurant a lot."

"I guess," Bobby mumbled, and Wanda reached out and took his hand. 

"Bobby, you're a beautiful person who needs to express himself. If that means you want to wear eyeliner, then that means you can wear eyeliner."

"Wanda, I..."

"She's right, baby," John said softly.

"I guess I've just never thought of it that way," Bobby said after a moment. "But you know what? You're right. Thank you, Wanda. I will use this, I promise."

Wanda smiled prettily. "I've got a brush and some potion in my office if you want to go put some on."

Bobby looked over at John, and John nodded. "You should if you want."

"Then that sounds great, Wanda," Bobby said, standing up and smiling when Wanda stood up as well. "I'll be back, Johnny."

"I'll be here!"

John was only alone for a few moments before Jubilee slid into the booth across from him. "Hey, Jubes."

"Hi, Johnny. Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," John said, looking out at the blizzard. "I bet you're wishing you were in Los Angeles."

"Definitely," Jubilee said softly. "But not just because of the snow."

John turned his attention back to her. "The first one is always hard. It'll get easier."

"I know I could have gone to Illinois with Kitty and Piotr, but I'm not ready for the whole meet the entire family thing. Meeting her parents was nervewracking enough. But now that I'm here alone, I kind of wish I had."

John reached over the presents to grab Jubilee's hand. "Honey, you're not alone."

"Here? No. In that apartment? Yes."

"Then come stay with us," John said simply. "You know we won't turn you away."

"I know, and I might, but not tonight," Jubilee said softly. "I need to spend tonight alone."

"So long as you know that you don't have to."

"I know, I promise." Jubilee glanced around. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't bullshit me, John. I know how hard holidays are for you."

"I'm not!" John exclaimed. "This is the first Christmas I've had where I didn't wake up in the morning and think about nothing but them. Did I think about them? Yes. But I also thought about Bobby and the family and how wonderful my life is now, and I realized on the way over here that I wouldn't change anything about this day. I'm happier now than I was on any of those Christmases I spent with my parents. That's all that matters."

Jubilee smiled at him. "I'm so happy that you've finally reached that point, Johnny."

"Me too. I still think it's a long road ahead before I'm completely over things, but I think helping Bobby deal with it will help me deal with it too. I mean, I've made more progress than I'd made in years since he came into my life."

"That's fabulous news," Jubilee said, looking up when Bobby sat back down. "Well, hello, gorgeous. You look great."

Bobby turned towards John, and John got a good look at the emerald green eyeliner and smiled. "You're the sexiest man I've ever seen, you know that?"

Bobby grinned. "I'm glad you like it because I do."

"I'm glad that you're wearing it, darling," Jubilee said. "Expressing yourself is always something that you should do."

"Yeah, it is, and I never could have done any of this two years ago before they found out. To be perfectly honest with you, Jubes, I have never been happier at the fact that they did."

John reached out and pulled Bobby into a kiss. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, baby."

"Well, I mean it," Bobby murmured. "I have some news to announce."

"I'm intrigued," Jubilee said. "What is it?"

"While I was putting this on, I got a phone call from Ronny," Bobby said, breaking out into a grin. "Abigail said yes."

"Yay!" Jubilee exclaimed. "Oh, what wonderful news. I love weddings."

"You would," John said, shaking his head. 

"Oh shut up," Jubilee said, throwing discarded wrapping paper at him.

"How about we just be happy for Ronny?" Bobby said before John could respond. "I'm supposed to spread the word."

"I'll do that," Jubilee said, standing up. "And then I'll come back and we'll open presents."

"Thanks, Jubes!" Bobby called out as she walked away.

John reached for their coffee and handed Bobby his cup before taking a long sip from his own. "You know what, Bobby? This is a good Christmas."

"Yeah, Johnny," Bobby said, settling his head on John's shoulder. "It is."


End file.
